~まい

〜mai

JLPT N2 Very formal, literary Chapter 101: Can't, won't, and polite refusal, 6 of 7

Formation

Verb-dictionary form + まい

Express a negative conjecture or determination; 'probably not' or 'I will not'.

When to use

Formal, literary negative conjecture - "probably not/I won't" - the negative counterpart to だろう.

Explanation

The ~まい grammar point is used to express a negative conjecture or a strong determination not to do something. In modern usage, it is generally used with the dictionary form of verbs (来る -> 来るまい, する -> するまい, etc.). It can be translated as 'probably not' or 'I will not' in English.

Example sentences

Inference (It Seems / Probably)

Corpus examples (60)

Showing 25 of 60 corpus examples.