45155
I know that you can use ka, no, and noka as question markers. But what is "na"
in "hontou na no ka" . is it another form of question marker altogether or
what does it mean the "na" in that sentence?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-02T18:50:02.873
45153
2017-04-03T03:26:41.480
2017-04-03T03:26:41.480
9878
question
particles questions copula
hontou nano ka , is "na" here part of the question marker or is it something else?
な is not part of the question marker because the same な can appear in non-
question sentences. This な is an attributive form of the copula だ. (Chart:
[Conjugations of the Japanese
Copula](http://www.japaneseprofessor.com/reference/grammar/conjugations-of-
the-japanese-copula/))

の here is a special "noun" known as [_explanatory_
の](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/5399/5010). Thus だ before it needs to
be turned into な to modify a noun. As you can see in the link, all predicative
expressions in their attributive form can precede の.

>   * 赤いのか。 Is it that it's red? (i-adjective)
>   * 簡単なのか。 Is it that it's easy? (na-adjective)
>   * 動くのか。 It it that it moves? (verb)
>   * 本なのか。 Is it that it's a book? (noun + copula)
>

本当 is a noun which is also categorized as a [no-
adjective](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/q/2770/5010), but we always say
本当なのか, not 本当ののか.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-02T19:35:00.977
45155
2017-04-03T02:44:18.187
2017-04-13T12:43:44.157
-1
5010
45153
answer