Can のreplace ですか when asking a question?


I recently encountered a situation when のwas used and want to know if either
of the terms can be used interchangeably. Thank you.




Not exactly replace.

の particle can be used for questions or answers, it means that you're either
seeking explanation or explaining something.

The only grammar rule here is that if it is preceded by a NA-Adjective or a
Noun you need to add な before the の.

For instance:

> どこ行くの？(doko iku no?) - Where are you going?(seeking explanation) - Informal.
>
> どこに行くのですか？(doko ni iku no desu ka?) - Where are you going (seeking
> explanation) Formal.
>
> どこ行くのか？(doko iku no ka?) - Where are you going (seeking explanation)
> informal but the か gives more emphasis to your question.

I often see people saying that ending answers and questions with の may sound a
bit feminine, so in order to avoid it you should end your sentence with
だ、です、ですか, depending if it's an answer or question.

Also you could abbreviate の to ん.

> どんな車好きなんだ？(don'na kuruma suki nanda?) - What kind of car do you like?
> (seeking explanation) Informal.
>
> 速い車好きなんだよ！(hayai kuruma suiki nanda yo!) - I like fast cars! (Explaining)
> informal.
>
> 何をしてるんですか？(nani wo shiterun desuka?) - What re you doing?(seeking
> explanation) somewhat formal.




Not exactly replace.

の particle can be used for questions or answers, it means that you're either
seeking explanation or explaining something.

The only grammar rule here is that if it is preceded by a NA-Adjective or a
Noun you need to add な before the の.

For instance:

> どこ行くの？(doko iku no?) - Where are you going?(seeking explanation) - Informal.
>
> どこに行くのですか？(doko ni iku no desu ka?) - Where are you going (seeking
> explanation) Formal.
>
> どこ行くのか？(doko iku no ka?) - Where are you going (seeking explanation)
> informal but the か gives more emphasis to your question.

I often see people saying that ending answers and questions with の may sound a
bit feminine, so in order to avoid it you should end your sentence with
だ、です、ですか, depending if it's an answer or question.

Also you could abbreviate の to ん.

> どんな車好きなんだ？(don'na kuruma suki nanda?) - What kind of car do you like?
> (seeking explanation) Informal.
>
> 速い車好きなんだよ！(hayai kuruma suiki nanda yo!) - I like fast cars! (Explaining)
> informal.
>
> 何をしてるんですか？(nani wo shiterun desuka?) - What re you doing?(seeking
> explanation) somewhat formal.

