Grammar › Speculation & Certainty
かもしれない — “might, maybe”
The plain-form-friendly way to say something is possible, without committing to it
かもしれない attaches to the plain form of verbs and adjectives (and directly to nouns, no だ) to flag a possibility you're not sure about — weaker than はず (expected) or にちがいない (certain), and weaker even than でしょう. The polite form is かもしれません.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Plain form + かもしれない | 遅れるかもしれません — I might be late |
| Noun/na-adj (no だ) + かもしれない | 明日は休みかもしれない — Tomorrow might be a day off |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 明日は雨が降るかもしれません。 | あしたはあめがふるかもしれません。 ashitahaamegafurukamoshiremasen。 | It might rain tomorrow. |
| この問題は難しいかもしれない。 | このもんだいはむずかしいかもしれない。 konomondaihamuzukashiikamoshirenai。 | This problem might be difficult. |
| 田中さんはもう帰ったかもしれません。 | たなかさんはもうかえったかもしれません。 tanakasanhamoukaettakamoshiremasen。 | Tanaka might have already gone home. |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
Don't add だ before かもしれない after a noun or na-adjective — 休みだかもしれない is wrong; just 休みかもしれない. That's the opposite rule from そうだ/ようだ, so double-check which pattern you're using.