Might with 〜かもしれない
Grammar: Possibility » 〜かもしれない
〜かもしれない expresses possibility or uncertainty: “might/may/could.” The colloquial shortened form is 〜かも.
かもしれない combines the interrogative particle か (questioning), the inclusive particle も (“even”), and the verb 知る (“to know”) modified to the negative potential non-past 知れない (“cannot be known”). Together, it means “cannot even be known whether”, which can be condensed to the word “might”.
Usage
Conveys low-to-moderate certainty (speaker is not confident).
Formation
- Clause + (の) + かもしれない
- 明日は雨が降るかもしれない。
- "It might rain tomorrow."
- Clause + (の) + かも（casual)
- 彼はもう帰ったのかも。
- "He might have already gone home."
Note: If の is used following a noun or adjectival noun clause, だ is replaced with な.
Further Reading
- 〜かもしれない｜日本語能力試験 JLPT N４文法 (edewakaru.com)
- 「～かもしれません」話し手の気持ちを表す表現 (tomojuku.com)
Related Grammar
- Presuming with 〜だろう and 〜でしょう (higher certainty)
Examples
Might appear bigger with 〜かもしれない
Due to Chino’s concerns about her height, Rize suggests projecting her voice as a solution.
- リゼ:
- 「声が大ければ存在も大く見かもしれない」
- “If your voice is loud, your presence might seem bigger too.”
Might get along with 〜かもしれない
Tippy remarks on how Cocoa adapted immediately to working in the café.
- ティッピー:
- 「チノにはああいう友達が合ってるかもしれん」
- “Maybe a friend like that suits Chino.”
Might have similar tastes with 〜かもしれない
At the library, Cocoa thinks she’s realized which book Chino is trying to find, but forgot the title of.
- ココア:
- 「今まで気付かなかったけど」
- “I didn't notice until now, but...”
- 「私本の趣味合うのかもしれないねっ」
- “...maybe we have similar taste in books.”
- “I didn't notice until now, but...”
