Posted inN4 Grammar

Mastering かもしれない (kamoshirenai): Expressing Possibility in Japanese

Posted inN4 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

“Might,” “maybe,” “possibly,” “there is a possibility that…”

🎯 Primary Function

To express conjecture or possibility about a future event or current situation. It indicates that the speaker thinks something is possible, but they are not certain.

📋 Grammar Structure

[Plain form of Verb] + かもしれない [Plain form of い-Adjective] + かもしれない [Plain form of な-Adjective (drop な, add だ)] + かもしれない (often だ is dropped) -> な-Adjective + かもしれない [Noun] + だ + かもしれない (often だ is dropped) -> Noun + かもしれない

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used, but less common than かもしれません. More formal expressions like ～の可能性がある (no kanousei ga aru) or ～かもしれないです (kamoshirenai desu) are sometimes preferred, though the latter is not standard grammar.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in casual conversation.

✍️ Written Language

Used in both formal and informal writing, such as emails, blogs, or articles.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Extremely common in everyday speech.

💡 Common Applications

Guessing future events
Used to express a possibility about something that might happen in the future.
Example: 明日雨が降るかもしれない。 (Ashita ame ga furu kamoshirenai.) – It might rain tomorrow.
Expressing uncertainty about a current situation
Used to express a possibility about something happening now or a current state.
Example: 彼はもう家に着いているかもしれない。 (Kare wa mou ie ni tsuite iru kamoshirenai.) – He might already be home.
Expressing a potential problem or concern
Used to suggest that something negative or problematic might occur.
Example: このやり方では問題が起こるかもしれない。 (Kono yarikata de wa mondai ga okoru kamoshirenai.) – There might be problems with this method.
📊
Frequency
Very frequent in both spoken and written Japanese.
🎚️
Difficulty
Relatively easy for N4 learners to understand the basic meaning and structure, but requires practice to use correctly in various contexts and distinguish from similar patterns.
Example Sentences
彼はパーティーに来ないかもしれない。
He might not come to the party.
この本は少し難しいかもしれない。
This book might be a little difficult.
彼女は今、忙しいかもしれないね。
She might be busy right now, you know.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Attaches to the plain form
Always connect かもしれない to the plain form (casual form) of verbs, adjectives, and nouns. For な-adjectives and nouns, the だ before かもしれない is often omitted in informal speech, though grammatically だ + かもしれない is correct.
Example: 雨が降る かもしれない (Correct) 雨が降ります かもしれない (Incorrect)
Expresses possibility, not certainty
It indicates a possibility that the speaker believes is plausible but not guaranteed. The degree of possibility is often considered lower than patterns like ～でしょう or ～はずだ.
Example: 彼は来るだろう。 (He will probably come – higher certainty) 彼は来るかもしれない。 (He might come – lower certainty)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Attaching to the ます form or です form.
✅ Always use the plain form (辞書形, た形, ない形, etc.).
かもしれない connects directly to the plain form of the preceding word. Using polite forms like ます or です before it is incorrect.
❌ Using it when very certain.
✅ Use ～でしょう or ～はずだ for higher certainty.
かもしれない is for possibilities the speaker isn’t highly confident about. If you are quite sure, use a different pattern.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Generally considered neutral to slightly informal, especially the shortened “かも”. The longer かもしれません is more polite.
Social Situations: Used widely in everyday conversations to express educated guesses, plans that aren’t fixed, or potential issues.
Regional Variations: The basic usage is standard across Japan, though contractions or sentence-ending particles might vary regionally.

🔍 Subtle Differences

かもしれない vs でしょう
かもしれない indicates a lower degree of probability or more personal conjecture. でしょう suggests a higher probability based on evidence or general knowledge.
When to use: Use かもしれない when you think something is possible but not very likely, or you are quite uncertain. Use でしょう when you think something is quite likely.
かもしれない vs ～そうです (hearsay)
かもしれない expresses the speaker’s own possibility. ～そうです (hearsay) reports information heard from others.
When to use: Use かもしれない for your own guess. Use ～そうです when you are reporting something someone else said they heard or know.
かもしれない vs ～そうです (looks like)
かもしれない expresses a possibility based on various factors. ～そうです (looks like) expresses a conclusion based on direct observation.
When to use: Use かもしれない for a broader guess. Use ～そうです when you see something and are making a prediction based on appearance (e.g., 空を見て雨が降りそうです – Looking at the sky, it looks like it will rain).

📝 Conjugation Notes

Verbs: Plain form (買う, 買わない, 買った, 買わなかった) + かもしれない い-Adjectives: Plain form (高い, 高くない, 高かった, 高くなかった) + かもしれない な-Adjectives: Plain form (静かだ, 静かじゃない, 静かだった, 静かじゃなかった) + かもしれない. The だ is often omitted before かもしれない. Nouns: Plain form (学生だ, 学生じゃない, 学生だった, 学生じゃなかった) + かもしれない. The だ is often omitted before かもしれない.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

The phrase is pronounced “ka-mo-shi-re-nai”. In casual speech, it’s often reduced to “ka-mo”.

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of it as “it’s possible that…” or “there’s a chance…”. Associate かも with the English “maybe” or “might”.

Practice Exercises
Choose the correct sentence using かもしれない:
明日、晴れますかもしれない。
明日、晴れるかもしれない。
明日、晴れてかもしれない。
明日、晴れたかもしれないます。
Fill in the blank: 彼女は病気＿＿＿。
だかもしれない
なかもしれない
かもしれない
ですかもしれない
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