Japanese with Manga

Switching uniforms with 〜っけ

Grammar Explanation: Remembering with 〜っけ

In a middle school classroom, Shindou stands at the right in a white summer shirt with a bead of sweat on his face. Miyamura and the classmates around him all wear black, high-collared winter jackets. A blond boy laughs and points at Shindou, and a girl beside him laughs too, while Miyamura stares with a stunned look.
ホリミヤ » Volume 17 » Page 69

One morning, Miyamura and his classmates are wearing the black, high-collared jackets of the winter uniform. Shindou walks into the classroom in a white summer shirt.

進藤(しんどう):
「あれっ　衣替(ころもが)えって今日(きょう)からだっけ」
“Huh? Was the uniform change supposed to start today?”
宮村(みやむら):
「な…」
“Wh...”
同級生(どうきゅうせい):
「なにやってんだよ進藤(しんどう)〜〜！！！」
“What are you doing, Shindou?!”

Key Points

1Checking a memory with だっけ
  • だっけ is the copula だ plus っけ. 今日(きょう)からだ means “it starts today,” and adding っけ turns it into a check on his memory: “it starts today, was it?”
  • The question is about today, so no past form is needed. 今日(きょう)からだったっけ would also work, pointing back to when he heard the date.
  • He’s half talking to himself, but he says it out loud in front of the class, and his classmates react right away.
2Surprise with あれっ
  • あれ is “huh?” when something doesn’t match what the speaker expected. The small っ cuts it short, like a quick gasp.
  • It often comes before っけ. The sight of everyone in black jackets is what makes Shindou doubt the date he had in mind.
3Bringing up a topic with って
  • In casual speech, って can mark the topic, much like は: 衣替(ころもが)えって, “the uniform change.”
  • It’s short for っていうのは, "the thing called." The comment that follows, 今日(きょう)からだっけ, is a question about that topic.
4衣替(ころもが)え
  • 衣替(ころもが)え is the seasonal change of clothes. Japanese schools set dates for switching uniforms, commonly June 1 for summer uniforms and October 1 for winter ones.
  • Here the class has switched to the black, high-collared winter jacket, and Shindou is still in his summer shirt.
5なにやってんだよ
  • やってん is a casual contraction of やっているの. 〜ている shrinks to 〜てる, the の becomes ん, and the る before it also turns into ん: やっているんだ → やってんだ.
  • なにやってんだよ is “what are you doing?” said in disbelief. The classmate is laughing as he says it, so it’s teasing, not a real scolding.

Vocabulary

(Today)

今日(きょう) means today. In formal writing, it can also mean the present day or current era.

(What)

なに asks what something is. Said alone, it shows surprise or annoyance: “what?” It is also written 何(なに).

(To do)

やる is a casual word for “to do”. It also means to give something to someone of lower standing, or to animals and plants.

See Also

ホリミヤ © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.