か否か
Meanings
whether or not
About this pattern
Explanation
か否か is a formal, written way to say 'whether or not' something is the case. It asks you to consider two possibilities: that X is true, and that X is not true. It is commonly used in analytical writing, reports, debates, and formal conversation where the speaker wants to present both sides or conclude after weighing evidence. It tends to appear in contexts where nuance and nuance of certainty are being discussed, rather than in casual speech. When forming sentences, attach か否か to the clause that expresses the condition or statement you're evaluating. The phrase can be used with nouns, verbs in plain form, and with adjectives (い-adjectives and na-adjectives) by treating the clause as a simple proposition: for na-adjectives you typically use the form with だ/ではない before か否か.
Learn in context
Example sentences
Whether or not this plan will succeed has not yet been decided.
Let's depart after confirming whether or not he will come.
We will decide after comparing whether the price is high or not.
We will confirm through market research whether there is demand for the new product.
Keep studying
More N1 patterns
from ... to ...; from start to finish; up to and including
View detailsNo matter how ~, it won't change the outcome; Even if ~, the result is still unlikely; Even though ~, it doesn't matter; it's futile to ~
View detailslike; similar to; as if; the same as
View detailsto be worthy of; to be enough for; to be sufficient
View detailsextreme; extremely; unbearably; to an extreme degree
View detailsEven though; Even if; Although; Despite
View details