particle N3 common casual
っけ — ...was it? / ...again? (recalling)
っけ
Meaning
- …was it? / …again? — a sentence-final particle for recalling or reconfirming something you half-forgot
Key sentence
明日って休みだっけ?
Tomorrow's a day off, isn't it… or was it?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain past だ / た + っけ | 〜だっけ / 〜たっけ | 何だっけ (what was it again?) |
Examples
あの人、誰だっけ?
Who was that person again?
鍵、ちゃんと閉めたっけ?
Did I lock up properly…?
When you can't use it
- Takes the past/だ form (だっけ, たっけ) even when you're asking about the present: 今日、何曜日だっけ? ('what day is it today again?'). Casual, used when groping for something you feel you should already know.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Often muttered to oneself while trying to remember. Even present-time facts take the past form: 今何時だっけ?
See っけ in real sentences
Jengo shows っけ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.