Japanese Grammar: Understanding “でしょう” (deshou)

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Japanese Grammar: Understanding “でしょう” (deshou)
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

Probably / Isn’t it? / Right?

🎯 Primary Function

To express probability, make a polite guess, or seek agreement from the listener.

📋 Grammar Structure

[Verb Dictionary Form] + でしょう
[I-Adjective Dictionary Form] + でしょう
[Na-Adjective (no な)] + でしょう
[Verb/Adj Plain Negative Form] + でしょう

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Common in weather reports, news broadcasts, and formal speeches.

😊 Informal Situations

Used to be polite but can be replaced by ‘darou’ in very casual settings.

✍️ Written Language

Used in essays or reports to present an opinion as a possibility rather than a hard fact.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Extremely common for asking questions or making soft guesses.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing Conjecture
Used when the speaker is making a polite guess based on some information, like a weather forecast.
Example: 明日は晴れるでしょう。(It will probably be sunny tomorrow.)
Seeking Confirmation
Used with a rising intonation to ask the listener to agree with the speaker’s opinion.
Example: 美味しいでしょう？(It tastes good, doesn’t it?)
Polite Softening
Used to make a statement sound less blunt or direct than using ‘desu’.
Example: それは少し高いでしょう。(That is probably a bit expensive.)
📊
Frequency
Very High
🎚️
Difficulty
N5 (Beginner)
Tag:

Related Kanji

JLPT N5 Kanji List

Related Vocabulary

JLPT N5 Vocabulary List
Example Sentences
Example #1
明日は雨が降るでしょう。
Furigana: あしたはあめがふるでしょう。
Romaji: Ashita wa ame ga furu deshou.
English: It will probably rain tomorrow.
Example #2
この映画は面白いでしょう。
Furigana: このえいがはおもしろいでしょう。
Romaji: Kono eiga wa omoshiroi deshou.
English: This movie is probably interesting.
Example #3
田中さんはもう帰ったでしょう。
Furigana: たなかさんはもうかえったでしょう。
Romaji: Tanaka-san wa mou kaetta deshou.
English: Mr. Tanaka has probably already gone home.
Example #4
綺麗でしょう？
Furigana: きれいでしょう？
Romaji: Kirei deshou?
English: It’s beautiful, isn’t it? (seeking agreement)
Example #5
試験は難しくないでしょう。
Furigana: しけんはむずかしくないでしょう。
Romaji: Shiken wa muzukashikunai deshou.
English: The exam probably won’t be difficult.
Example #6
あそこは静かでしょう。
Furigana: あそこはしずかでしょう。
Romaji: Asoko wa shizuka deshou.
English: That place is probably quiet.
Example #7
北海道は今寒いでしょう。
Furigana: ほっかいどうはいまざむいでしょう。
Romaji: Hokkaido wa ima samui deshou.
English: It’s probably cold in Hokkaido right now.
Example #8
彼は学生でしょう？
Furigana: かれはがくせいでしょう？
Romaji: Kare wa gakusei deshou?
English: He is a student, right?
Example #9
そんなことはないでしょう。
Furigana: そんなことはないでしょう。
Romaji: Sonna koto wa nai deshou.
English: That probably isn’t the case.
Example #10
ケーキ、おいしいでしょう？
Furigana: ケーキ、おいしいでしょう？
Romaji: Keeki, oishii deshou?
English: The cake is delicious, isn’t it?
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Intonation matters!
With a rising intonation, it asks ‘Isn’t it?’ and seeks agreement.
Example: いいでしょう？ (Rising intonation)
Probability vs. Confirmation
With a falling intonation, it indicates a prediction or probability like ‘It will probably…’.
Example: 明日はいい天気でしょう。(Falling intonation)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ 静かだでしょう (Shizuka da deshou) / 静かなでしょう (Shizuka na deshou)
✅ 静かでしょう (Shizuka deshou)
You must remove ‘da’ or ‘na’ when connecting a Na-adjective to ‘deshou’.
❌ 学生だでしょう (Gakusei da deshou)
✅ 学生でしょう (Gakusei deshou)
Similar to Na-adjectives, do not use ‘da’ between a noun and ‘deshou’.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Polite (Teineigo). It is softer and more indirect than ‘desu’.
Social Situations: Used when you want to avoid sounding too assertive or when you want to create a harmonious atmosphere by seeking agreement.
Regional Variations: In some dialects, versions like ‘yaro’ (Kansai) are used similarly.

🔍 Subtle Differences

でしょう vs かもしれません
‘Deshou’ implies a higher degree of certainty (about 70-80%) compared to ‘Kamoshiremasen’ (about 50% or less).
When to use: Use ‘deshou’ when you are fairly confident; use ‘kamoshiremasen’ when it’s just a possibility.
でしょう vs だろう
‘Deshou’ is polite; ‘Darou’ is casual and can sound a bit rough or masculine.
When to use: Use ‘deshou’ with teachers, strangers, or in professional settings.

📝 Conjugation Notes

‘Deshou’ is the polite version of ‘Darou’. It follows the plain form of verbs and i-adjectives, and the stem form of nouns and na-adjectives.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The ‘u’ at the end is a long vowel (deshō). Make sure to stretch the ‘o’ sound slightly.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of ‘Deshou’ as ‘They show’ (The weather report shows it will rain). It’s used for predictions and showing your opinion to others for agreement.

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