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サイズが合うかどうか着てみます。

As I understand it, the "サイズが合うかどうか" part is an embedded question (疑問節) meaning "whether the size fits or not", but I fail to understand how the embedded question is connected to the rest of the sentence.

The following is my analysis:

  • I don't think the embedded question is the object of "着て" (with the "を" particle omitted), because you wear clothes, not a question. I think the object of "着る" is implied by the context.
  • Maybe it's the topic of the sentence, with "は" particle omitted?
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サイズが合うかどうか is not the topic of the sentence because inserting は does not make sense to me. And it's not the object of 着る, either (you correctly described why).

This か-clause is not tightly connected to the other parts of the sentence. In my opinion, it's something like a comment that works independently even if it looks like a noun phrase. Japanese embedded questions ending with か can be used in the beginning or middle of a sentence to insert a question as an "aside":

I think we can understand the syntax of your sentence as an extension of these. It may be still a type of noun phrase, but in terms of its usage, it behaves somewhat like an independent question enclosed in parentheses or dashes in English text.

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  • After reading your answer and posts you linked (thanks! really helpful), I think the "サイズが合うかどうか" part can be understood as a separate clause (節) indicating a doubt. It might be slightly clearer with a 読点 inserted? "サイズが合うかどうか、着てみます。" Translate to: Does the size fit or not?/How's the size? Try it on. I think your answer have solved my question. Thank you.
    – Naitree
    Commented Jun 3 at 4:46
  • @Naitree Yes, it's perfectly natural to put a comma there, although it's not necessary at all.
    – naruto
    Commented Jun 3 at 7:16

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