Do you want an origami ninja star with んです
Grammar Explanation: Reasoning with 〜のだ
A couple of girls admire the foreign student Sotoka, as she has a sparkle about her. Sotoka notices the girls, mistaking their admiration as being for the origami ninja stars adorning her school bag.
- ソトカ:
- 「ほしいんですか？手裏剣」
- “Is it that you want one? This.”
- Literal: “Is it that you want it? This.”
Key Points
1ほしいんですか asks for the reason behind what Sotoka sees
- んですか asks for an explanation or confirmation, not just a bare yes-or-no fact.
- Sotoka sees the girls looking at her and guesses the reason is that they want the origami ninja star.
2ほしい describes wanting a thing
- ほしい is used when the desired object is something you want to have.
- Here the object is 手裏剣, the origami ninja star on her bag.
3手裏剣 works as a clarification after the question
- The main question is already complete as ほしいんですか.
- Sotoka adds 手裏剣 afterward to clarify what she thinks they might want.
- The furigana これ shows the spoken word is “this”, while the kanji 手裏剣 identifies the thing she means: the origami ninja star.
See Also
- Grammar: Reasoning with 〜のだ
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