Posted inN3 Grammar

Exploring もしかしたら: Expressing Possibility in Japanese (N3 Grammar)

Posted inN3 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

Perhaps, maybe, possibly, by some chance.

🎯 Primary Function

To express a low to medium degree of possibility or uncertainty about a future event, a present situation, or a past event.

📋 Grammar Structure

もしかしたら + [Plain form of Verb/い-Adjective/な-Adjective/Noun] + かもしれません / かもしれない / でしょう / だろう

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used with ～かもしれません in formal speech or writing.

😊 Informal Situations

Commonly used with ～かもしれない in informal conversations.

✍️ Written Language

Used in written Japanese, especially in less formal texts or dialogue.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Very frequently used in spoken Japanese to convey speculation or doubt.

💡 Common Applications

Predicting future events with uncertainty.
Used to suggest that something might happen, but it is not certain.
Example: もしかしたら明日雨が降るかもしれません。 (Maybe it will rain tomorrow.)
Speculating about present or past situations.
Used when you are not sure about the current state of something or what happened in the past.
Example: もしかしたら彼はもう帰ったかもしれない。 (Maybe he has already gone home.)
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Example: undefined
📊
Frequency
Fairly common in both spoken and written Japanese.
🎚️
Difficulty
Intermediate (JLPT N3), mainly in understanding its nuance compared to other possibility expressions.
Example Sentences
もしかしたら明日は晴れるかもしれない。
Perhaps it will be sunny tomorrow.
もしかしたら彼はこのニュースを知らないだろう。
It’s possible he doesn’t know this news.
もしかしたら何か間違いがあるかもしれません。
By any chance, there might be some mistake.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Must be followed by an expression of possibility.
もしかしたら is an adverbial phrase and requires a concluding possibility expression like かもしれません/かもしれない or でしょう/だろう to form a complete sentence.
Example: ✕ もしかしたら風邪です。(Incorrect) 〇 もしかしたら風邪かもしれません。(Correct)
Indicates a lower probability than たぶん.
もしかしたら suggests a possibility, but the likelihood is generally considered lower than when using たぶん (probably).
Example: もしかしたら行く。(Lower chance of going) vs. たぶん行く。(Higher chance of going)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using もしかしたら without a possibility expression at the end of the sentence.
✅ Always follow もしかしたら with かもしれません/かもしれない or でしょう/だろう.
もしかしたら functions like “possibly” and needs a verb phrase expressing possibility to complete the thought.
❌ Confusing its probability level with たぶん or きっと.
✅ Remember the general probability scale: もしかしたら < たぶん < きっと.
もしかしたら is for smaller chances, たぶん for likelihood, and きっと for high certainty.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral to slightly cautious. Politeness depends on the accompanying expression (e.g., ～かもしれません is polite).
Social Situations: Appropriate in most informal and semi-formal situations when expressing uncertainty.
Regional Variations: Standard Japanese usage.

🔍 Subtle Differences

もしかしたら vs. ひょっとしたら
Very similar in meaning (“perhaps,” “by some chance”). ひょっとしたら can sometimes imply a slightly more unexpected or remote possibility.
When to use: Often interchangeable. ひょっとしたら might be used when the possibility feels more surprising or less expected.
もしかしたら vs. たぶん
もしかしたら indicates a lower probability (around 30-50%) compared to たぶん (around 70-80%).
When to use: Use もしかしたら when the chance is lower or uncertain. Use たぶん when something is likely but not definite.
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📝 Conjugation Notes

もしかしたら is an adverb and does not conjugate. The verb, adjective, or noun it modifies connects to the following possibility expression (かもしれません/だろう) in its plain form (dropping だ before かもしれない for な-adjectives/nouns).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Pronounced ‘mo-shi-ka-shi-ta-ra’. It’s often said with a slight pause or emphasis before the main part of the sentence, highlighting the speaker’s uncertainty.

🧠 Memory Tips

Associate もしかしたら with かもしれない (maybe) and think of it as adding “possibly” or “by some chance” to the “maybe”. Mo-shi-ka-shi-ta-ra kamo-shirenai!

Practice Exercises
もしかしたら、今日の____は中止になるかもしれない。
休み
授業
買い物
食事
「彼はまだ来ていませんね。」「ええ、もしかしたら、時間を____かもしれません。」
間違えた
忘れた
間に合った
早く来た
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