たぶん
tabun
The English phrase "probably" is translated into Japanese as たぶん (tabun).
たぶん is an adverb used to express that something is likely to happen or be true. It typically appears near the beginning of a clause or before the verb it modifies.
Which one should you use?
While たぶん is common in daily conversation, おそらく is a more formal and objective way to say "probably" or "perhaps," used in news or academic contexts.
How does it change in a sentence?
In natural speech, たぶん is often paired with the conjectural auxiliary だろう at the end of the sentence to express probability.
How do you pronounce it?
tabun
Did you know?
- In casual conversation, Japanese speakers often omit たぶん entirely and rely solely on the sentence-ending particle だろう to convey that something is probable.
- Japanese uses different levels of probability markers to avoid direct contradiction, meaning たぶん can be a tool for 'softening' a disagreement.
- In very polite Japanese, instead of using an adverb like たぶん, speakers often use complex verb endings to 'wrap' the sentence in a layer of polite uncertainty.
Examples in context
- たぶん雨になるだろう。It's probably going to rain.This sentence is useful for predicting the weather.Tatoeba #203351 by KK_kaku_, translation #3249372 by nava
- 彼はたぶん有名にならない。He probably won't become famous.This sentence is useful for making a prediction about someone's future success.Tatoeba #448784 by bunbuku, translation #2389406 by CK
- たぶん明日は雨になるだろう。It'll probably rain tomorrow.Tatoeba #203326 by tommy__san, translation #6817379 by CK
- おそらく明日 (あす) 雨 (あめ) が降 (ふ) るでしょう。Probably, it will rain tomorrow.
- たぶん彼 (かれ) は遅刻 (ちこく) するでしょう。He will probably be late.
- 明日 (あした) 遊 (あそ) びに行 (い) くかもしれない。I might go to play tomorrow.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Talking about a friend's arrival time.
- 大翔 Hiroto彼はもうすぐ来るかな？Kare wa mō sugu kuru kana?Do you think he'll be here soon?
- 結衣 Yuiたぶん、あと五分で来ると思うよ。Tabun, ato go-fun de kuru to omou yo.Probably, I think he'll be here in five minutes.
- 大翔 Hirotoよかった。急いでいるからね。Yokatta. Isoide iru kara ne.That's good. Since we're in a hurry.
- 結衣 Yuiうん、たぶん大丈夫だよ。Un, tabun daijōbu da yo.Yeah, it'll probably be fine.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
