Question Sentence Endings
っけ
Remind me again
だ ending Sentence + っけ
た Ending sentence + っけ
っけ attaches to the end of a sentence, much like か does.
It indicates a guess of which you are not sure. Most commonly used when you can’t quite remember.
Has a nuance of “tell me again” or “remind me”
Due to its limitations and meaning, it is frequently used with のだ.
Examples
- だれだったっけ？ – Who was that again?
- 後何時間だっけ？ – How many hours left again?
- 遅かったっけ？ – Was (it) late?
- 彼女は24歳だっけ？ – Is she 24?
- 勉強は終わったっけ？ – Did you finish studying? (tell me again)
かな
I wonder if
Sentence + かな
かな is an informal question marker. It means something like “I wonder (if)”. It’s a way of letting someone hear your internal thoughts (questions), and provide input if they want.
- このドレスはにあうかな – I wonder if this dress will look good (on someone)
- そのレストランはおいしいかな – I wonder if that restaurant is good.
- かてないかな – I wonder if I can’t win. (going to try to win)
- そうだったかな – I wonder if that was the case. (was it?)
かしら
I wonder if (Feminine)
Sentence + かしら
This is a very feminine question marker. Generally only women will use this ending. Other than that, it’s basically the same as かな.
Examples
- 食べていいかしら – I wonder if I should eat.
- だれだったかしら – I wonder who that was.
かい
Friendly Yes/No
Sentence + かい
だ/です ending sentence: Change だ・です to だい
かい is mostly just a soft か。It’s kind of rare, and it’s typically used by older people with yes/no type questions. It expresses doubt and seeks confirmation. It is a friendly ending, so you shouldn’t use it with your boss.
The い softens the か to make it less coarse to the listener. This い can also happen on だ (だい).
Examples
- ハッピーかい？ Are ya happy?
- どうだい？ – How is it?
- 行くかい？ – Are you going to go?
See also じゃないか