I thought の when used in questions is for when you’re asking for an
explanation or to have a curious tone, but んだ is also for explanation and I’ve
seen both used to end questions so what are the differences between them?
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2019-08-20T21:52:48.867
70235
2019-08-21T03:34:06.377
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question
word-choice usage nuances particles
What is the difference between ending a question with んだ？and の？
For **yes-no type questions** :

>   1. 食べたの？
>   2. 食べたんだ？
>

Sentence 1 is very common, and sounds friendly and neutral (i.e., you have no
prior assumption). Syntactically, sentence 2 may not be a question, but with a
question mark, it sounds more like a confirmation with a surprised and/or
accusatory tone ("So...you ate it, is that right?").

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ORHSNm.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/ORHSNm.png)

For **wh-type questions** (どこ, 何, etc):

>   3. どこへ行くの？
>   4. どこへ行くんだ？
>

Sentence 3 is a simple, gender-neutral, colloquial question. Sentence 4 sounds
masculine (or sometimes militaristic), blunt and often oppressing. You usually
don't have to say a sentence like 4 even to your family.

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/F6Ioh.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/F6Ioh.png)
[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vrZmHm.png)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/vrZmHm.png)
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2019-08-21T03:34:06.377
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2019-08-21T03:34:06.377
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answer