おまえたち の ぼす は だれ だ？
omaetachi no bosu wa dare da?
Who is your boss?
Today, we gonna talk about how to ask questions in Japanese. This ain’t no rocket science, so listen up and you’ll be asking questions like a boss in no time. We be talkin’ about them question words: what, where, when, and all that jazz.
So, lemme break it down for you. In Japanese, when you wanna ask a question, it’s mad simple. You just put your question word and then put the particle 「か」 at the end of the sentence. It’s like adding a question mark at the end of a sentence in English, but you actually say it. And you can get a little creative with the word order too. It’s like a free-styling session, ya dig? You can switch up the words for emphasis.
It’s just like when you’re tryna find out what’s poppin’ in the hood. You don’t just say, “The party is.” You gotta ask, “What’s the party like?” or “When is the party?” You add that question word to get the info you need.
| Question Word | Japanese | English |
| What | なに / なん (nani / nan) | What |
| Where | どこ (doko) | Where |
| Who | だれ / どなた (dare / donata) | Who |
| When | いつ (itsu) | When |
| Which | どれ (dore) | Which |
| How | どう (dou) | How |
| Why | なぜ (naze) | Why |
| How many | いくつ (ikutsu) | How many |
| How much | いくら (ikura) | How much |
It’s like this: you’re at the corner store, right? You see a dude with a fresh pair of kicks. You wanna know where he got ’em. You don’t say, “You got them at the store.” You gotta ask, “Where’d you get them?” The question word gives you the whole scoop. Without it, you’re just stating facts. With it, you’re on the hunt for some real knowledge.
Peep these words before you run the examples.
こうそう (Kousou)
English: Gang war; conflict.
This right here is when two rival crews start beefin’ real hard. It ain’t no small thing, feel me? It’s a full-on war, a rumble for control of the block. Think of it like in “Boyz n the Hood” when Doughboy and his crew went after the guys who shot Ricky. That’s a kōsō.
いばしょ (ibasho)
English: Place where one belongs; a home or hangout.
This is more than just a place; it’s where you feel like you belong. It’s your spot, your turf. A place where the homies got your back and you’re safe from the street drama. Like the bar in “Cheers,” that was their spot, their ibasho. It’s your home base.
あつめる (atsumeru)
English: To gather; to collect.
When you’re trying to get a crew together, you gotta atsumeru ’em up. It’s about getting everyone on the same page, bringing ’em all in for a meeting, or collecting all your paper. It’s like when The Godfather, Vito Corleone, would call all his capos together to discuss business. He’s gathering his people.
えらぶ (erabu)
English: To choose; to select.
You gotta be smart out here. You don’t just roll with anyone. You gotta erabu your crew carefully, you gotta choose your moves wisely. This word is about making a selection, making a choice. You can erabu a partner in crime or erabu a new whip. It’s about picking what’s right for you and your business.
おそれる (osoreru)
English: To fear; to be afraid of.
In this life, you can’t be showing no fear. But this word is about that feeling deep down inside when something’s really messing with you. When you’re running the streets, you gotta osoreru the cops, you gotta be afraid of getting caught slippin’. Like Tony Montana, he ain’t osoreru nothing, but that’s what makes him dangerous. This is that feeling of being scared.
Aight, check the flavor on these sentences. They’ll get you right.
おまえたち は いつ こうそう を はじめ た の か？
omaetachi wa itsu kōsō o hajimeta no ka?
When did you guys start the conflict?
かたぎ は なぜ おれ たち を おそれる の か？
katagi wa naze oretachi o osoreru no ka?
Why do the regular people fear us?
この ばっぐ の なか に は なに が はいって いる か？
kono baggu no naka ni wa nani ga haitte iru ka?
What is in this bag?
おまえ は どれ を えらぶ の か、かね か いのち か？
omae wa dore o erabu no ka, kane ka inochi ka?
Which one will you choose, money or life?
この とりひき に は いくら ひつよう な の か？
kono torihiki ni wa ikura hitsuyou na no ka?
How much is needed for this deal?
やつら は いくつ ひと を あつめた の か？
yatsura wa ikutsu hito o atsumeta no ka?
How many people did those guys gather?
その じょうほう は いくら で かった の か？
sono jouhou wa ikura de katta no ka?
How much did you pay for that information?
やつ の いばしょ は どこ だ？
yatsu no ibasho wa doko da?
Where is his hideout?
おれたち を うった やつ は だれ だ？
oretachi o utta yatsu wa dare da?
Who is the snitch that sold us out?
この こうそう は いつ まで つづく の か？
kono kousou wa itsu made tsuzuku no ka?
How long will this conflict last?
Aight, that’s the lowdown on questions. Stay up and keep it real, fam.
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