「来着」 "láizhe"
「来着」（"láizhe"）means “…来着: '…again?' — recalling something just said or a recent fact”. 来着 (neutral tone) is a colloquial sentence-final particle for trying to recall something that happened or was said very recently — English 'again' in 'What was it called again. Formation: ……（是）什么 / 怎么 + 来着（回忆刚才）
…来着: '…again?' — recalling something just said or a recent fact
HSK6Formation
……（是）什么 / 怎么 + 来着（回忆刚才）
Explanation
来着 (neutral tone) is a colloquial sentence-final particle for trying to recall something that happened or was said very recently — English 'again' in 'What was it called again?'. It typically follows a question word (什么, 怎么, 哪儿…) and points to the near past. It is spoken-only and cannot take a specific time word like 昨天; the sense is 'just now / a moment ago'.
Examples
Note
Near past only — ❌ 昨天…来着; use it for 'a moment ago', not a dated event.
FAQ
「来着」 — what does it mean and how is it used?
…来着: '…again?' — recalling something just said or a recent fact. 来着 (neutral tone) is a colloquial sentence-final particle for trying to recall something that happened or was said very recently — English 'again' in 'What was it called again?'. It typically follows a question word (什么, 怎么, 哪儿…) and points to the near past. It is spoken-only and cannot take a specific time word like 昨天; the sense is 'just now / a moment ago'.
「来着」 — how do you form it?
……（是）什么 / 怎么 + 来着（回忆刚才）
「来着」 — any usage notes?
Near past only — ❌ 昨天…来着; use it for 'a moment ago', not a dated event.