What it means
っけ is placed at the end of a sentence when the speaker is trying to remember or confirm information. It often conveys a thought such as “What was it again?” or “Was it...?” and suggests that the speaker once knew the information but cannot recall it clearly. It commonly follows a past verb, a noun or na-adjective with だ, or an i-adjective in its past form. Although っけ itself is familiar and conversational, polite counterparts such as でしたっけ, ましたっけ, and ですっけ are also used when the surrounding conversation is polite.
Usage note
っけ is mainly used in spoken Japanese and is not usually appropriate in formal writing. It is different from an ordinary question ending because it specifically expresses the speaker’s attempt to recall or confirm something.
How to use it
あの人は田中さんでしたっけ。
Is that person Tanaka?
この道は安全でしたっけ。
Was this road safe?
昨日の試験は難しかったですっけ。
Was yesterday's exam difficult?
鍵を昨日持って行きましたっけ。
Did I take the key with me yesterday?
あの人は田中さんだっけ。
Is that person Tanaka?
この道は安全だっけ。
Was this road safe?
昨日の試験は難しかったっけ。
Was yesterday's exam difficult?
鍵を昨日持って行ったっけ。
Did I take the key with me yesterday?
Example sentences
この薬は食後に飲むんでしたっけ。
Was I supposed to take this medicine after meals?
明日の会議は十時からでしたっけ。
Was tomorrow's meeting from ten o'clock again?
駅の出口は北口だったっけ。
Was the station exit the north exit again?
去年の夏休みはどこへ行ったっけ。
Where did I go during last year's summer vacation again?