かい

See also: がい

Japanese

Counter

かい (rōmaji -kai)

1. 回: occurrences
2. 回: games, rounds, innings in baseball
3. 階: floor, storey

Noun

かい (rōmaji kai)

1. 貝: shell
2. 界: world
3. 階: story, floor
4. 櫂: oar
5. 会: meeting
6. 甲斐: value
7. 海: sea, ocean
8. 戒: precept, commandment

Particle

かい (rōmaji kai)

1. かい: (familiar) marks a non-rhetorical question, which expects a 'yes' or a 'no' answer, a variant of question particle か (ka)

   元 (げん)気 (き)かい？

   Genki kai?

   Are you fine?

   あの女 (おんな)の子 (こ)に気 (き)があるのかい。

   Ano onna no ko ni ki ga aru no kai.

   Are you interested in that girl?

   彼 (かれ)はもう来 (き)たかい？

   Kare wa mō kita kai?

   Has he come yet?

   本 (ほん)当 (とう)に出 (で)来 (き)るのかい？

   hontō ni dekiru no kai?

   Can you really do it?

Usage notes

• The question marker かい (kai) is sometimes written as かえ (kae), but it's less common.

Suffix

かい (rōmaji -kai)

1. 会: meeting
2. 階: floor, storey
3. 界: the world of something, such as business, celebrities, or finance
4. 改: revision