かどうか — Whether or not
Embeds an indirect yes/no question inside a larger sentence, expressing uncertainty about whether something is or is not the case.
Structure
[Plain form] + かどうか + [verb of knowing/wondering/checking]
Examples
彼が来るかどうかわかりません。
Kare ga kuru ka dō ka wakarimasen.
I don't know whether he's coming or not.
来るかどうか = whether or not he comes
合格したかどうか、まだ知らない。
Gōkaku shita ka dō ka, mada shiranai.
I don't know yet whether I passed or not.
合格したかどうか = whether (I) passed or not
明日来られるかどうか確認します。
Ashita korareru ka dō ka kakunin shimasu.
I'll check whether I can come tomorrow or not.
来られるかどうか = whether able to come or not
• Key Concept: かどうか = a binary yes/no question embedded in a sentence. • Question: か + question word = WH-question embedded: 何を食べたか知っていますか？(Do you know what she ate?). • Detail: use かどうか for 'whether or not'; • Summary: use plain か after a question word for indirect WH-questions. • Note: with a な-adj/noun, drop だ before かどうか (元気かどうか, not 元気だかどうか).
Commonly confused with
The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones かどうか is tested against.
vs 〜か (indirect WH-question)
Use かどうか for yes/no questions ('whether or not'). Use plain か when a question word (何/誰/どこ) is present: どこに行くか知らない = 'I don't know WHERE he's going.'
vs 〜かもしれない
かもしれない ends a sentence to express 'might be.' かどうか is embedded mid-sentence to package an unresolved yes/no question for another verb (know/ask/check).
More expressions
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