～かもしれません (kamo shiremasen) – How to Say "Might" or "Maybe" in Japanese

Sometimes, you just don’t know for sure.

Maybe it’ll rain.

Maybe your friend is late.

Maybe you left your wallet at Lawson. 😅

In Japanese, when you're not totally sure about something, you use:

～かもしれません
(kamo shiremasen) = “might,” “maybe,” or “it could be.”

This grammar lets you express possibility, uncertainty, or soft guesses. Let’s take a closer look 👇

What Does ～かもしれません Mean?

～かもしれません means:

• might
• may
• could be
• possibly

It’s a polite way to say you’re not 100% sure about something.

You'll use it all the time, especially when you want to be indirect or humble.

In casual speech, you can shorten it to ～かも.

Note: Kamo also means duck... are you very uncertain and keep saying "kamo"? Maybe you are a duck... 🦆🦆🦆

How to Use ～かもしれません

Attach it directly to the plain form of a word:

• Verbs (dictionary form) + かもしれません
  • いく → いくかもしれません (might go)
• い-adjectives + かもしれません
  • たかい → たかいかもしれません (might be expensive)
• な-adjectives (drop な!) + かもしれません
  • しずか → しずかかもしれません (might be quiet)
• Nouns + かもしれません
  • がくせい → がくせいかもしれません (might be a student)

Examples

• かれはくるかもしれません。
  → He might come.
• このシャツはたかいかもしれません。
  → This shirt might be expensive.
• あしたはしずかかもしれません。
  → Tomorrow might be quiet.
• あのひとはがくせいかもしれません。
  → That person might be a student.

Casual Versions:

• くるかも
• たかいかも
• しずかかも
• がくせいかも

Cultural Note: Why Japanese Uses So Many “Maybe”s

In Japanese culture, being too direct can feel pushy or rude. People often leave room for uncertainty, even if they’re 99% sure.

So instead of saying:

"This is definitely the answer." ❌

They might say:

"This might be the answer." ✅

This politeness can feel really different if you come from a culture like the U.S., where you're encouraged to be confident and assertive, especially in writing or debate.

Using ～かもしれません is one of many ways Japanese speakers stay humble, vague, or non-committal in a conversation.

It's one of those things that can be a point of culture shock, so we just wanted to point it out here!

Why is it “かも + しれません”?

To further break things down, this grammar is made up of two parts:

• かも → a short form of かも知れない, meaning “it’s possible that…”
• しれません → polite negative form of 知る (shiru / to know)

Put together, it literally means “(I) don’t know, but it might be…” which is a very Japanese way of expressing uncertainty or possibility without being too direct. You’re politely saying, "It’s possible, but I’m not sure!"

～かもしれません vs. ～でしょう

Both can express possibility, but:

• Use ～でしょう when you’re fairly confident (e.g., “It will probably rain”)
• Use ～かもしれません when you’re less certain (e.g., “It might rain”)

Think of ～かもしれません as a softer, humbler version.

Practice Time!

Try saying these in Japanese using ～かもしれません:

She might not come.
→ 彼女は来ないかもしれません

It might be cold tomorrow.
→ 明日は寒いかもしれません

I might be late.
→ 遅れるかもしれません

Now try saying them casually with ～かも!

Recap

• ～かもしれません = "might," "maybe," or "it could be"
• Use it after verbs, adjectives, or nouns in plain form
• In casual speech, drop the しれません and just say ～かも
• It adds polite uncertainty and softens your statement
• Common in Japanese culture, where being too certain can feel rude

Want to level up your hedging and sound like a native? Use more of this grammar. Just don’t use it when writing a bold, confident essay, unless you're in Japan. 😄