Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 10: 14/20

っけWhat is…again?, Was it... that... ?, Did you say...?

While Verb[る] + ん/の + だ/だった + っけ should be used, younger generation of Japanese simply uses Verb[る] + っけ

Structure

Verb［た］+ っけ
Verb［る］+ ん(1)だ + っけ
［い］Adjective［た］+ っけ
［な］Adjective + だった(2) + っけ
Noun + だった(2) + っけ

(1) の
(2) だ

Details

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About っけ

け is a sentence ending particle in Japanese that is used to convey when the speaker is trying to either remember, or confirm information that they have forgotten. In this way, it is very similar to the 'again' in 'what is (A) again?'

け may only be used after the past form of the auxiliary verbs だ or た. This means that け (should) only be seen as だっけ or たっけ.

It is also common to see のだ and んだ utilized to make verb tenses a possibility.

Caution

Despite the grammar rules related to っけ, the younger generation quite often uses it without the addition of んだ (especially with verbs).

  • トムって日本語(にほんご)話(はな)せるっけ。
    Tom, were you able to speak Japanese again?
  • この道(みち)って通(とお)れるっけ。
    Were we able to take this road again?

While it is important to understand that this is still っけ, it is not a grammatically correct form that may be used in writing (or formal speaking).

Fun Fact

け will sound equally natural when asking a rhetorical question to yourself, or when directly asking another person about something that you have forgotten.

  • あれ、カギ掛(か)けたっけ。
    Umm, did I lock the door? (Asking oneself)
  • あそこのレストランって犬(いぬ)を連(つ)れていけるっけ。
    Do you remember if we could take our dogs to that restaurant over there? (Asking another)

Examples

--:--

    そんなもの家(いえ)にあったっけ？

    Was it that you had something like that at home?

    明日(あした)って晴(は)れるんだっけ？

    Was it that it will be sunny tomorrow?

    もうすぐ梅雨(つゆ)も終(お)わりだっけ？

    Was it that the rainy season will be over soon?

    この資料(しりょう)渡(わた)したっけ？

    Did I pass you this document? (was it that...?)

    一昨日(おととい)もラーメン食(た)べたっけ？

    Did we have ramen the day before yesterday too? (was it that...?)

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っけ – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (4 in total)

  • Fuga

    Fuga

    I am not sure if this is a speech bubble, but it seems like the person saying this in their head and trying to remember if they went to 初詣 with 竜一. This sentence sort of has the nuance of, ‘I went to hatsumoude with Ryuichi last year…right?’

    If you check out the fun fact section of this grammar point it says, 'け will sound equally natural when asking a rhetorical question to yourself, or when directly asking another person about something that you have forgotten. '.

    Hope that answers your question!

  • albcasahu

    albcasahu

    Yes, she is talking to herself. The nuance you provided makes more sense to me. Thank you so much!

  • Humin

    Humin

    A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar (ADAJG) notes that っけ is also used for nostalgic recollection. The Maggie Sensei link briefly mentions this as well. I think that usage would fit better in this scenario.

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