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Breakdown of kono ryouri no nedan ha takai desu ka?
はha
topic particle
ですdesu
to be
高いtakai
expensive
かka
question particle
のno
possessive case particle
料理ryouri
dish
このkono
this
値段nedan
price
Questions & Answers about kono ryouri no nedan ha 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.
What is the function of です in this sentence?
です is the polite copula. It doesn’t carry meaning by itself but makes the sentence polite. Here it “attaches” to the adjective 高い to form a polite predicate.
What does the か at the end of the sentence do?
か is the question particle. It turns a statement into a yes/no question when placed at the end of a sentence.
How would you ask the same question more informally?
You can drop です and か, or replace them with casual forms:
- この料理の値段、高い？
- この料理、高いの？
Both convey “Is this dish expensive?” in a friendlier, everyday tone.
Is there another natural way to ask “Is this dish expensive?” in Japanese?
Yes. A common alternative is using おいくら (how much):
- この料理、おいくらですか？
Literally “This dish, how much is it?” It’s polite and very natural in shops or restaurants.
How do you pronounce this sentence and where does the pitch rise?
Pronunciation in romaji:
ko-no-ryō-ri-no-ne-dan-wa-ta-ka-i-de-su-ka
(Each hyphen marks one mora.)
Intonation: Japanese questions are usually fairly flat until a slight rise at the final か to signal you’re asking something.
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Japanese verbs conjugate based on tense, politeness, and mood. For example, the polite present form adds ‑ます to the verb stem, while the past tense uses ‑ました. Unlike English, Japanese verbs don't change based on the subject — the same form works for "I", "you", and "they".
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