How sure: endings

Stage 3Sentence endings & intentChunk 8 of 32 · items 271–275 of 484

A ladder of certainty from 'maybe' through 'should be' to 'no way', all on one base sentence about someone arriving.

Mix-ups

From least to most sure: kamo (could go either way), to omou (my opinion), n ja nai (I'd guess), hazu (should, by reasoning); wake nai is just as sure in the other direction (no way). hazu is about what you expect: not your own plans, which take tsumori, and never advice, which takes -ta hou ga ii. hazu ga nai also means 'can't be', but calmly, by reasoning; wake nai is the everyday, emphatic one. wake nai and wake ja nai both deny, but one ja softens it: kirai na wake nai = no way I'd hate it, kirai na wake ja nai (kedo) = it's not that I hate it (but...).

kamo

polite kamo shiremasendrama rank #240

maybe / might

かもPlay かもしれませんPlay

Marks something as possible but uncertain. It attaches to any plain clause, with no da after nouns (ame kamo).

casualPlay

sorosoro tsuku kamo

They might be here soon.

そろそろ着くかも

politePlay

sorosoro tsuku kamo shiremasen

They may be arriving soon.

そろそろ着くかもしれません

kamo desu is common among younger coworkers but sounds a bit loose; with superiors or customers, use kamo shiremasen.

Learn alongside: to omou, n ja nai, hazu, wake nai

to omou

polite to omoimasudrama rank #33*

I think (that)

と思う とおもうPlay と思いますPlay

Presents a statement as your own opinion or guess so it doesn't sound blunt. It attaches to the plain form, with da after nouns (ame da to omou).

casualPlay

sorosoro tsuku to omou

I think they'll be here soon.

そろそろ着くと思う

politePlay

sorosoro tsuku to omoimasu

I think they'll be arriving soon.

そろそろ着くと思います

Use it for your own thoughts only; for someone else, say to omotteru. The casual variant is tte omou. For 'I don't think...', negate the clause: konai to omou (I don't think they'll come), not kuru to omowanai.

Learn alongside: kamo, n ja nai, hazu, wake naiLearn first: omou

n ja nai

polite n ja nai desu kadrama rank #39*

probably / I'd say

んじゃないPlay んじゃないですかPlay

Gives a soft but fairly confident guess or opinion, either as a rising question or as a flat statement. After nouns, use na n ja nai.

casualPlay

sorosoro tsuku n ja nai?

They'll probably be here soon, no?

そろそろ着くんじゃない？

politePlay

sorosoro tsuku n ja nai desu ka

I'd say they'll be here soon.

そろそろ着くんじゃないですか

A sharp, falling ...n ja nai! is a scolding 'don't!' (sawaru n ja nai!). Flat, it can also deny an explanation: asobi ni iku n ja nai = it's not that I'm going to play.

Learn alongside: kamo, to omou, hazu, wake naiLearn first: n da, ja nai?

hazu

polite hazu desudrama rank #346

should be / supposed to

はずPlay はずですPlay

States what you expect on good grounds, such as a schedule, what someone said, or how things normally work. After nouns it is no hazu; after na-adjectives, na hazu.

casualPlay

sorosoro tsuku hazu

They should be here any minute.

そろそろ着くはず

politePlay

sorosoro tsuku hazu desu

They should be arriving any minute.

そろそろ着くはずです

hazu ga nai means 'can't possibly'; hazu datta means 'was supposed to (but didn't)'. It is never advice: 'you should rest' is yasunda hou ga ii.

Learn alongside: kamo, to omou, n ja nai, wake nai

wake nai

polite wake nai desudrama rank #449

no way (that...) / can't possibly

わけないPlay わけないですPlay

Flatly rules something out as impossible or absurd ('no way', 'as if'). On its own it makes the stock retort sonna wake nai (jan)! = no way / that can't be. It goes on any plain clause, often with jan or desho (wakaru wake nai jan = how would I know?), and nouns and na-adjectives take na before it (uso na wake nai, hima na wake nai).

casualPlay

mada tsuku wake nai yo

No way they'll be here yet.

まだ着くわけないよ

politePlay

mada tsuku wake nai desu yo

There's no way they'll be here yet.

まだ着くわけないですよ

One ja softens it rather than flipping it: kirai na wake ja nai (kedo) = it's not that I hate it (but...). The same word is also an adjective meaning 'easy, no trouble': sonna no wake nai yo = that's nothing, one 'no' away from sonna wake nai yo = no way. Even in polite speech it flatly contradicts, so don't aim it at a superior's idea (say sore wa chotto... instead). The careful polite form is wake ga arimasen.

Learn alongside: kamo, to omou, n ja nai, hazuLearn first: hazu, -wake ja nai