B1 Expression Formal

～でしょう

~deshou

Probably / Right?

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use ～でしょう to express a polite guess or to seek agreement from your listener.

  • Means: Likely, probably, or 'isn't it?' depending on intonation.
  • Used in: Polite conversations, business settings, and when asking for confirmation.
  • Don't confuse: Don't use it as a direct question without rising intonation.
Opinion + Rising Intonation = Polite Confirmation

Explanation at your level:

Use this to say 'probably' or 'right?'. It makes your Japanese sound polite and natural.
This is a versatile expression. Use it to guess the future or confirm what you think you know.
As an intermediate learner, use this to soften your assertions. It is essential for maintaining polite, harmonious relationships in Japanese society.
This expression serves as a modal marker for conjecture. It allows for nuanced social interaction by balancing personal opinion with listener consensus.
Functioning as a pragmatic marker, it facilitates 'face-saving' strategies. It is a critical tool for navigating the hierarchy and maintaining the appropriate level of interpersonal distance.
It functions as a cognitive-linguistic bridge, signaling the speaker's epistemic stance while simultaneously performing a phatic function to sustain social cohesion within the discourse.

Significado

Expressing probability or seeking confirmation.

🌍

Contexto cultural

Used to maintain harmony.

💡

Rising Intonation

Always rise at the end to ask a question.

Significado

Expressing probability or seeking confirmation.

💡

Rising Intonation

Always rise at the end to ask a question.

Ponte a prueba

Fill in the blank.

明日は晴れる____。

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: でしょう

Used for probability.

🎉 Puntuación: /1

Preguntas frecuentes

1 preguntas

Yes, it is polite.

Frases relacionadas

🔗

～だろう

contrast

Casual probability

Dónde usarla

💼

Work Meeting

Boss: このプロジェクトは成功するでしょう。

Employee: はい、私もそう思います。

formal
🗺️

Asking for Directions

You: この道で合っていますでしょう？

Local: はい、そうです。

neutral

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Deshou' as 'The Show'—you are putting on a show of being polite while guessing.

Visual Association

Imagine a weather forecaster pointing at a map with a polite smile, saying 'It will rain, deshou'.

Rhyme

When you're not sure, use deshou, it's the polite way to go.

Story

Ken is at a party. He sees a man he thinks is a teacher. He says, 'You are a teacher, deshou?' The man smiles and nods. Ken feels relieved that he didn't sound too direct.

Word Web

だろうかもしれないはず思う確か同意

Desafío

Spend one day using 'deshou' whenever you make a prediction.

In Other Languages

Spanish moderate

Probablemente

Japanese integrates the probability into the verb structure.

French high

N'est-ce pas

Japanese is more versatile as it also expresses probability.

German moderate

Wahrscheinlich

Japanese is more integrated into the sentence end.

Japanese high

～だろう

Deshou is polite; darou is casual.

Arabic moderate

من المحتمل

Japanese is a single suffix.

Chinese moderate

大概

Japanese is a suffix.

Korean high

～겠지요

Korean has more complex honorific levels.

Portuguese moderate

Provavelmente

Japanese is a suffix.

Easily Confused

～でしょう vs ～でしょう vs ～はず

Both express probability.

Deshou is a guess; Hazu is based on evidence.

Preguntas frecuentes (1)

Yes, it is polite.

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