Japanese from zero · N3 Lesson 5
Ryo's Japanese
〜っけ ・ 〜じゃない ・ なんか / なんて / など ・ 〜か何か ・ それとも
In this lesson, you will learn the casual Japanese young people use with friends: 〜っけ to check something you have forgotten, 〜じゃない and じゃん to say 'isn't it?' or 'come on', なんか and なんて to say 'things like' or to play something down, 〜か何か for 'or something', and それとも to offer a choice between two questions. Tanaka and Ryo come to Lisa and Minju's housewarming.
By the end you will be able to say
あれ、あの 店の 名前、何だっけ。Wait, what was the name of that shop again?
この へや、いいじゃん。This room is nice, isn't it?
ピザか何か、配達して もらおう。Let's get pizza or something delivered.
宿題なんて したく ない。Homework? I don't want to do it.
ピザに する？ それとも すしに する？Shall we get pizza? Or sushi?
The grammar in this lesson
- 〜っけ — what was it again? — だ or a past form + っけ checks something you once knew but can't remember, often half to yourself.
- 〜じゃない / 〜じゃん — isn't it?; come on — In casual talk, じゃない (short form じゃん) can mean 'isn't it?' or 'come on, ...', with no 'not' at all.
- なんか / なんて / など — things like; such a thing as — など lists examples ('and so on'); in speech, なんか and なんて do the same casually, and often play a thing down.
- 〜か何か — or something — Noun + か何か means 'that or something like it', leaving the choice open.
- それとも — or (between two questions) — それとも joins two questions to offer a choice: A? それとも B?