〜かい (~kai) — A soft yes/no question
A warm "is it?" asked downward to someone close — it wants a yes or a no.
Formula (सूत्र ढाँचा)
Grammar rule (व्याकरण नियम र परिभाषा)
When to use it
- Who says it matters a lot — it is mostly older men speaking to someone younger and close.
- The sixty-year-old 先輩 in your factory may well say 「元気かい？」to you; that is warmth, not anger.
Meaning
「かい」turns a sentence into a yes/no question.
How to attach
- Attaching it is easy: put かい straight onto the plain form (行く → 行くかい, 来る → 来るかい, 分かった → 分かったかい).
- With a noun or a な-adjective, drop だ and add かい (元気だ → 元気かい, 休みだ → 休みかい).
Watch out
- The danger: it only goes to friends and to people younger than you.
- Saying 「元気かい？」to a 店長, a 課長 or any 先輩 treats them as your junior — one slip is enough to damage the relationship.
- Upward it is always 「お元気ですか」.
- This form is one to understand by ear, not to speak.
Examples (उदाहरणहरू)
元気かい？
げんきかい？
You doing all right? — an older 先輩 to someone younger
明日 来るかい？
あした くるかい？
Are you coming tomorrow?
店長には「お元気ですか」と 言います。
てんちょうには「おげんきですか」と いいます。
To your 店長 you say 「お元気ですか」.
Knowledge check (मिनी ज्ञान जाँच)
Which line can a 先輩 say to a 後輩, but a 後輩 can never say to a 先輩?
💡 Hint: Which direction does かい travel?
かい only travels downward — an older person speaking to a younger person they are close to. The other three greetings are safe in both directions.
How do you ask your 課長 "Are you well?"
💡 Hint: With someone above you, です／ます.
To a 課長 it is 「お元気ですか」. 元気かい would treat them as your junior.
What is 「行く」as a かい question?
💡 Hint: Attach it straight to the plain form.
plain form + かい = 行くかい. It does not attach to the ます form.
Your score: /3