かもしれない

The expression かもしれない is used to indicate possibility or uncertainty – that something might be the case. It is similar to English "might," "maybe," or "perhaps." It expresses a lower degree of certainty than でしょう, suggesting the speaker is not confident but considers something possible.

How to form it

かもしれない attaches to the plain form of verbs, adjectives, and nouns:

• Verb (plain form):いく行く

  • かもしれない → 行くかもしれない
    あす明日あめがふる雨が降るかもしれない。

    It might rain tomorrow.

• い-adjective:たかい高い

  • かもしれない → 高いかもしれない
    このれすとらんレストランはたかい高いかもしれない。

    This restaurant might be expensive.

• な-adjective (without な):しずか静か

  • かもしれない → 静かかもしれない
    あのばしょ場所はしずか静かかもしれない。

    That place might be quiet.

• Noun:うそ嘘

  • かもしれない → 嘘かもしれない
    それはうそ嘘かもしれない。

    That might be a lie.

For past tense, use the past plain form before かもしれない:

For negative, use the negative plain form:

Polite form

In polite speech, かもしれない becomes かもしれません.

Casual shortened form

In casual conversation, かもしれない is frequently shortened to かも.

This shortened form is extremely common in everyday speech and texting.

Nuance

かもしれない expresses a genuine sense of uncertainty – the speaker thinks something is possible but does not know for sure. It is softer and less assertive than だろう or でしょう, which express a stronger expectation. Use かもしれない when you want to hedge or when the possibility is roughly 50/50 or even less likely.