Meaning
「否」is read as 「いな」. This grammar pattern means "whether something is the case or not." It has the same meaning as 「かどうか」but is a more formal expression.
Formation
| Part of speech | Formation |
|---|---|
| Verb (plain form) | か否か |
| い-adjective | か否か |
| な-adjective | (である)か否か |
| Noun | (である)か否か |
Examples
-
討論番組で、スマートフォンを小学生に持たせるか否かの議論が行われていた。
On a discussion program, they debated whether or not elementary school students should be allowed to have smartphones. -
明日、野球の試合が出来るか否かは、台風の進路にかかっている。
Whether or not tomorrow's baseball game can be held depends on the path of the typhoon. -
人が成功するか否かは、才能のみによるものではない。環境など様々な要因によって決まるのだ。
Whether or not a person succeeds does not depend on talent alone. It is determined by various factors such as environment. -
では、この案に賛成か否かを問います。
Now, I will ask whether you are for or against this proposal.
Summary
- 「〜か否か」means "whether or not ~"
- Attaches to verbs (plain form), い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and nouns