でしょう

also: でしょ

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 100

Meanings

1

it seems; I think; I guess; I wonder

polite (teineigo)

Polite conjectural form of です. Expresses probability, speculation, or seeking confirmation. The contracted form でしょ is less polite.

See also: だろう

明日あしたは雨あめが降ふるでしょう。
It will probably rain tomorrow.
このケーキはおいしいでしょう。
This cake must be delicious, I think.

2

right?; don't you agree?

polite (teineigo)

Used to seek agreement or confirmation, often with a rising intonation. Functions like a tag question.

この映えい画が、面おも白しろかったでしょう？
This movie was interesting, wasn't it?

See all 570 example sentences ›

Grammar

でしょう・だろうprobably; …, right?N5

Related words

かもしれません
でしょう expresses a confident guess closer to 'probably', while かもしれません emphasizes mere possibility, closer to 'maybe/might'.
よね
でしょう is a more explicit and formal way to seek confirmation, while よね is shorter and more casual.

Politeness

だろうplain
だろう is the plain-form conjectural copula used in casual speech, while でしょう is its polite equivalent.
っしょplain
でしょう is the polite, standard form used to seek agreement, while っしょ is a very casual contraction used mainly among close friends.
かもしれないplainN3
でしょう is the polite/formal counterpart of だろう, used in the same conjectural sense as かも知れない but in more formal speech.

Etymology

Conjectural form of the polite copula です. The contracted form でしょ is a common casual variant.