Mastering かもしれない (Kamoshirenai): The Japanese Grammar for Expressing Possibility

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Mastering かもしれない (Kamoshirenai): The Japanese Grammar for Expressing Possibility
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

“Maybe,” “might,” “perhaps,” or “it is possible that…”

🎯 Primary Function

To express probability, possibility, or conjecture (low certainty).

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (plain form: dictionary, past, or negative) + かもしれない
I-adjective (plain form) + かもしれない
Na-adjective stem + だ + かもしれない (or omitting だ)
Plain Negative Form of Verb/Adjective/Noun + かもしれない

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Used as かもしれません (kamoshiremasen). This form maintains politeness while expressing uncertainty.

😊 Informal Situations

Used as かもしれない (kamoshirenai), often shortened to かも (kamo) in very casual speech.

✍️ Written Language

Used in emails, casual writing, and dialogue to convey uncertainty.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Extremely common in everyday conversation to soften statements or express doubt.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing low-probability conjecture
Used when you are guessing about an event or state, but you have a relatively low level of confidence (usually 50% or less).
Example: 彼はパーティーに来ないかもしれない。
Hypothesizing a potential future event
Used for uncertain predictions about the future, often weather or schedules.
Example: 明日は雪になるかもしれない。
Stating a possibility about a past event
Used to speculate about a past situation where the outcome or reason is uncertain.
Example: 彼女はあの時、誤解していたのかもしれない。
📊
Frequency
Very Common
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N4/N3
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N4 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N4 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
明日、雨が降るかもしれない。
Furigana: あした あめ が ふる かもしれない。
Romaji: Ashita, ame ga furu kamoshirenai.
English: It might rain tomorrow.
Example #2
彼はもう帰ったかもしれない。
Furigana: かれ は もう かえった かもしれない。
Romaji: Kare wa mou kaetta kamoshirenai.
English: He might have already gone home.
Example #3
この問題は難しいかもしれない。
Furigana: この もんだい は むずかしい かもしれない。
Romaji: Kono mondai wa muzukashii kamoshirenai.
English: This problem might be difficult.
Example #4
彼女はそのニュースに喜んでいるかもしれない。
Furigana: かのじょ は その ニュース に よろこんでいる かもしれない。
Romaji: Kanojo wa sono nyuusu ni yorokonde iru kamoshirenai.
English: She might be happy about the news.
Example #5
それは嘘かもしれない。
Furigana: それ は うそ かもしれない。
Romaji: Sore wa uso kamoshirenai.
English: That might be a lie.
Example #6
会議に間に合わないかもしれない。
Furigana: かいぎ に まにあわない かもしれない。
Romaji: Kaigi ni maniawanai kamoshirenai.
English: I might not make it to the meeting on time.
Example #7
店はもう閉まっているかもしれません。
Furigana: みせ は もう しまっている かもしれません。
Romaji: Mise wa mou shimatte iru kamoshiremasen.
English: The store might already be closed. (Polite form)
Example #8
財布をどこかに落としたかもしれない。
Furigana: さいふ を どこか に おとした かもしれない。
Romaji: Saifu o dokoka ni otoshita kamoshirenai.
English: I might have dropped my wallet somewhere.
Example #9
彼は来週暇かもしれない。
Furigana: かれ は らいしゅう ひま かもしれない。
Romaji: Kare wa raishuu hima kamoshirenai.
English: He might be free next week.
Example #10
急がないと、最終電車に乗り遅れるかもしれない。
Furigana: いそがないと、さいしゅうでんしゃ に のりおくれる かもしれない。
Romaji: Isoganai to, saishuu densha ni noriokureru kamoshirenai.
English: If we don’t hurry, we might miss the last train.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Connection to Nouns and Na-adjectives
When attaching to Nouns or Na-adjective stems, the connecting word だ is often inserted, even if sometimes dropped in speech (e.g., 晴れ *だ* かもしれない).
Example: 明日は晴れかもしれない。
Casual Abbreviation (かも)
While the full form is かもしれない, it is very often shortened to simply かも (kamo) in casual conversation.
Example: 山田さんはもう寝ているかもしれない。
Implied Probability (Low Certainty)
The certainty level implied by かもしれない is generally lower (around 30-50%) compared to だろう (darou) or でしょう (deshou).
Example: 彼は怒っているかもしれない。

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 行きますかもしれない (Ikimasu kamoshirenai)
✅ V (Plain) + かもしれない
Do not use the ます form before かもしれない. Always attach it to the plain form (辞書形, た形, ない形).
❌ きれいかもしれない (Kirei kamoshirenai)
✅ Na-adj stem + だ + かもしれない
For na-adjectives and nouns, the plain form connection requires the use of だ, although it is often omitted in quick, casual speech. Mistake is omitting だ entirely when writing formally.
❌ 行かなかったんかもしれない (Ikanakattano kamoshirenai)
✅ Adhere to the standard conjugation rules for the plain form.
Confusion often arises with the plain past negative form. E.g., Did not go: 行かなかったかもしれない (Ikanakatta kamoshirenai).

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral to Casual (かもしれない); Polite (かもしれません).
Social Situations: Ideal for expressing thoughts or predictions without sounding overly assertive, which is valued in Japanese culture. It avoids definite statements.
Regional Variations: The abbreviated form かも (kamo) is frequently used across all regions in extremely casual speech among friends. Regional dialects may use slightly different conjectural particles.

🔍 Subtle Differences

かもしれない vs. だろう/でしょう
だろう/でしょう implies a higher degree of probability (60-80%), based on available evidence or strong personal feeling.
When to use: Use だろう/でしょう when you feel reasonably certain about your conjecture; use かもしれない when you are less certain.
かもしれない vs. そうだ (Seems like)
そうだ (the conjecture form) is based on direct sensory evidence (what you see, hear, or taste). かもしれない is based on deduction or general possibility.
When to use: Use そうだ when describing a visible state (e.g., “It looks like it’s going to rain”); use かもしれない for abstract possibility (e.g., “It might rain tomorrow”).

📝 Conjugation Notes

The particle が is never used between the plain form element and かもしれない. The entire phrase かもしれない conjugates like an i-adjective in the negative (e.g., かもしれない -> かもしれなくない – very rarely used) or in the polite form (かもしれません).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The focus often falls on the plain form element before the phrase. The sound is usually uttered smoothly, particularly in the polite form “kamoshiremasen,” where the final ‘n’ is often subtly elongated.

🧠 Memory Tips

Break the phrase down: か (interrogative/question marker) + も (also/even) + しれない (literally ‘cannot know’ or ‘don’t know’). This combination intuitively conveys “Even if I ask, I still don’t know the outcome,” hence the meaning ‘maybe’ or ‘possible’.

Other Grammar

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