Maybe? Perhaps?: Tabun VS Kamoshirenai (多分 VS かもしれない) : Hey, and welcome back for another Japanese lesson with Bondlingo! Today, we’re going to learn how to use 多分 (tabun) and ～かもしれない (~kamoshirenai) in a sentence and what the difference is between the two. The English translations for these phrases are “maybe” or “perhaps.” Let’s get started!
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Tabun VS Kamoshirenai (多分 VS かもしれない) in Japanese
When we’re communicating with people in our daily lives, sometimes we know or have access to all of the information necessary to speak definitively about a subject. However, there are times when we’re not sure of some facts and must convey to others that we are speaking to the best of our knowledge.
To communicate this in English, we use words like “maybe” or “probably.” In Japanese, two possible ways of saying “maybe” are by using words like 多分 and phrases like ～かもしれない. Let’s go over both of these individually below.
多分(Tabun)
多分 is usually placed as close to the beginning of the sentence as possible. It is commonly used in tandem with the word でしょう (deshou) or だろう (darou), which are placed at the end of the sentence. でしょう and だろう have the same meaning, except でしょう is formal and だろう is informal. A rough translation of でしょう and だろう is “…right?” or “…isn’t it?” だろう is less common than でしょう.
彼はアメリカ人でしょう？
Kare wa Amerika-jin deshou?
He’s American, isn’t he?
明日雨が降るでしょう？
Ashita ame ga furu deshou?
It’s going to rain tomorrow, right?
By adding 多分 to the beginning of a sentence and pairing it with でしょう or だろう, it creates the nuance of being more certain—such as when using the English word “probably.”
彼女は多分彼氏がいるでしょう。
Kanojo wa tabun kareshi ga iru deshou.
She probably has a boyfriend.
あの店は多分高いでしょう。
Ano mise wa tabun takai deshou.
That shop is probably expensive.
That being said, 多分 can also be used by itself without でしょう or だろう. In this case, it would just mean “maybe.”
彼は多分わからない。
Kare wa tabun wakaranai.
Maybe he doesn’t know.
A: 眼鏡をなくしちゃった！
B: 心配しないで！多分教室に残した。
A: Megane wo nakushichatta!
B: Shinpai shinaide! Tabun kyoushitsu ni nokoshita.
A: I lost my glasses!
B: Don’t worry! Maybe you left them in the classroom.
～かもしれない(kamoshirenai)
This expression means roughly the same as 多分. However, it is used only at the very end of the sentence. If it comes after a verb, the verb must be in the plain form—even if it’s a polite sentence. ～かもしれない in its polite form is ～かもしれません (~kamoshiremasen). If you want to be ultra-casual, you can shorten ～かもしれない to just ～かも. Take a look at the examples below.
あのレストランは遅くまでやってるかもしれない。
Ano resutoran wa osoku made yatteru kamoshirenai.
That restaurant might be open until late at night.
明日雪が降るから誰も来ないかも。
Ashita yuki ga furu kara daremo konai kamo.
It will snow tomorrow, so maybe no one will come.
来週まで高橋さんは仕事を休むかもしれません。
Raishuu made Takahashi-san wa shigoto wo yasumu kamoshiremasen.
Takahashi will take off work until next week to the best of my knowledge.
多分(tabun) VS ～かもしれない(kamoshirenai)
So, which one do you use? 多分 or ～かもしれない? If they both have similar meanings, then how do you know which one is the most appropriate to use in which situation? The answer is that both of them are basically interchangeable. My first inclination is to say that ～かもしれない is used for more formal situations, but then as I think about it more, I see that that’s not necessarily true.
As with English, sometimes two or more words or phrases have similar meanings, and, in the end, it just comes down to personal preference. Which comes more naturally to you, saying, “He might come,” or “There’s a chance he’ll come?” Which sounds better, “Maybe it’s over there,” or “Perhaps it’s over there?” It’s the same with Japanese. Some people prefer to say 多分 while others may prefer ～かもしれない. However, the reality is that most people use both indiscriminately with no explanation as to why they used 多分 in this situation and ～かもしれない in that one.
The flexibility of these phrases is a good thing in my opinion! It just means you have a choice and can use your favorite one. It means you can’t go wrong! You could choose to use 多分 exclusively and never say ～かもしれない again! Just remember what they both mean and be ready to hear them a lot because both phrases are widely used in Japan.
In Summary
Now that you have learned two new ways of saying “maybe” and “perhaps” in Japanese, it’s time to get out there and practice! The best way to internalize the things you learn is to see how they work in the real world from your own perspective. Who knows? You may figure out the best situations to use 多分 and ～かもしれない before anyone else! Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and try new things! The worst that could happen is someone saying, “Hai?” (“Excuse me?”) Even in that situation, all you have to do is say what you just said in a different way, and everything will be fine!
Good luck with your Japanese studies!