おそらく
osoraku
In Japanese, 'possibly' can be expressed as おそらく (osoraku).
The adverb おそらく is used to indicate that a proposition may be true or false, often carrying the sense of 'probably' or 'presumably'.
Meaning: adverb indicating that a proposition may be true or false (adv)
Which one should you use?
While both terms express possibility, おそらく carries a higher degree of certainty and leans closer to 'probably' compared to the more colloquial たぶん, which is often used to mean 'maybe'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using おそらく in a sentence, it is grammatically natural to end the sentence with a conjectural form such as だろう or でしょう to express 'probably … will' or 'probably … is'.
How do you pronounce it?
osoraku
Did you know?
- The root of おそらく comes from おそれる, meaning 'to fear'. In its earliest usage, the word expressed a sense of dread or apprehension about a likely outcome.
- In certain contexts, expressing high probability with おそらく can actually be a polite way of being indirect when one wants to avoid making a definitive, confrontational statement.
- Japanese has several words for 'maybe', but おそらく is specifically used when the speaker has a logical basis for their guess, whereas たぶん is often used for mere intuition.
Examples in context
- これならいいはず。たぶん。おそらく。そうだといいな。This should be okay. Probably. Possibly. At least I hope so.This sentence demonstrates the use of おそらく to express a hopeful possibility.Tatoeba #8919800 by small_snow, translation #10067292 by tsp_2
- たぶん明日は雨が降るでしょう。Possibly, it will rain tomorrow.
- おそらく彼は遅れます。Possibly, he will be late.
- 多分来週の土曜日でしょう。Possibly, next Saturday.
- おそらく明日は雨が降るでしょう。osoraku ashita wa ame ga furu deshou.It will probably rain tomorrow.
- その話は、おそらく本当です。sono hanashi wa, osoraku hontou desu.That story is possibly true.
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are discussing the weather forecast.
- 美咲 Misaki明日は遠足だけど、大丈夫かな？ashita wa ensoku dakedo, daijoubu kana?We have a field trip tomorrow, but I wonder if it's okay.
- 大翔 Hirotoおそらく、午後は晴れると思うよ。osoraku, gogo wa hareru to omou yo.It will possibly clear up in the afternoon, I think.
- 美咲 Misaki本当？よかった！hontou? yokatta!Really? That's a relief!
- 大翔 Hiroto天気予報がそう言っていたから。tenki yohoo ga sou itte ita kara.Because that's what the weather forecast said.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
