やっぱり <Noun> か - why is it ok to have both?


Example:

やっぱり初心者か

I'm confused how a sentence can have both:

  * やっぱり, which IIUC suggests that in the end, the speaker found that the things are just as expected
  * か which indicates that the speaker isn't certain yet

The two words would seem to correspond to rather incompatible nuances:

  * Ah so she really is a newbie, just like I thought!
  * Ah I guess she must be a newbie?




か is not just a question marker but also is a sentence-end particle used to
confirm something with a bit of exclamatory feeling. This type of か is
pronounced without a rising intonation. If your example sentence was
pronounced without a rising intonation, it means the speaker is now certain
that she is a newbie.

Examples:

  * そうか。  
I see. / Oh is that so. / Alright.

  * そうか？⤴ (with rising intonation)  
Is that so? / Really?

  * 君か!  
Oh it's you!

  * 大きくなったじゃないか!  
You've grown up, haven't you!




か is not just a question marker but also is a sentence-end particle used to
confirm something with a bit of exclamatory feeling. This type of か is
pronounced without a rising intonation. If your example sentence was
pronounced without a rising intonation, it means the speaker is now certain
that she is a newbie.

Examples:

  * そうか。  
I see. / Oh is that so. / Alright.

  * そうか？⤴ (with rising intonation)  
Is that so? / Really?

  * 君か!  
Oh it's you!

  * 大きくなったじゃないか!  
You've grown up, haven't you!

