Grammar › Speculation & Certainty
はずだ — “should be, is supposed to be”
A confident expectation based on solid reasoning or known facts — not a guess
はずだ attaches to plain forms (な for na-adjectives, の for nouns) to express that something logically should be the case, given what you already know — an expectation backed by evidence, not a hope. はずがない is the strong negative: “there's no way that's true.”
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Plain form + はずだ | もう着いているはずです — (They) should have already arrived |
| Noun + の + はずだ | 今日は休みのはずです — Today should be a day off |
| Strong negation | そんなはずがない — There's no way that's true |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 田中さんは今日休みのはずです。 | たなかさんはきょうやすみのはずです。 tanakasanhakyouyasuminohazudesu。 | Tanaka should be off today. |
| もう電車は出発しているはずです。 | もうでんしゃはしゅっぱつしているはずです。 moudenshahashuppatsushiteiruhazudesu。 | The train should have already left. |
| 彼が犯人のはずがない。 | かれがはんにんのはずがない。 karegahanninnohazuganai。 | There's no way he's the culprit. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
はずだ isn't a polite way to say “should” in the moral/advice sense — that's べきだ. 早く寝るはずです sounds odd; 早く寝るべきです (you should go to bed early, as advice) is usually what's meant.