さぞかし

さ

ぞ

か

し

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

adverb

surely; certainly; must have been

usually written using kana alone

Expresses strong conviction or empathy about a situation, often with an emotional tone. Used when the speaker imagines how someone feels or how something must be.

Usage patterns

さぞかし〈形けい容よう詞し〉だろうmust be very [adjective]
長なが旅たびの後あとだから、さぞかし疲つかれているだろう。
After such a long trip, he must be exhausted.
さぞかし〈事こと〉でしょうit must surely be [situation/feeling] (polite conjecture)
お子こさんの合ごう格かく、さぞかしお喜よろこびのことでしょう。
You must be so happy about your child's success.
さぞかし〈形けい容よう詞し〉に違ちがいないthere's no doubt it must be [adjective]
この寒さむさでは、さぞかし辛つらいに違ちがいない。
In this cold, it must be really tough for them.

Kanji

嘸how, indeed, I dare say

Related words

さぞN1
さぞ is the shorter, slightly less emphatic form of さぞかし, both expressing confident conjecture.
さぞや
さぞや is an old-fashioned, literary-sounding variant of さぞかし with the same emphatic meaning.
きっとN5
きっと is a plain, everyday word for 'surely' used for predictions in general, while さぞかし adds an empathetic, imaginative tone about someone's feelings or situation.

Written forms

さぞかしUsage98%
Standard kana spelling; the kanji form 嘸かし is rarely used.
嘸さぞかしUsage2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; learners should use the kana spelling.

Etymology

Derived from さぞ (emphatic adverb) + かし (old sentence-ending particle expressing exclamation or conjecture). The exact historical development is uncertain.