kono ryouri no nedan wa takai desu ka.

Is the price of this dish expensive?

Breakdown of kono ryouri no nedan wa takai desu ka.

• は: topic particle
• です: to be
• 高たかい: expensive
• か: question particle

Questions & Answers about kono ryouri no nedan wa takai desu ka.

What does この料理の値段は高いですか？ literally translate to?

Literally it reads “As for the price of this dish, is (it) expensive?”

• この料理 = “this dish”
• の marks “’s” or “of” (genitive)
• 値段は = “as for the price” (topic)
• 高いですか = “is expensive?” (polite question)

What is the role of この in this sentence?

この is a demonstrative adjective meaning “this.” It directly modifies 料理 (“dish”) to specify which dish you’re talking about.

Why is の used between 料理 and 値段?

の is the genitive (possessive) particle. It links two nouns so that the first (“dish”) belongs to or describes the second (“price”), producing “dish’s price” or “price of the dish.”

Why is は used after 値段 instead of が?

は is the topic marker. By marking 値段 as the topic, you’re saying “as for the price…” and then asking something about it.

• が would mark the grammatical subject and often introduce new information, whereas は signals something you want to talk about or contrast.