もしかして

も

し

か

し

て

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

adverb

perhaps; maybe; by any chance

usually written using kana alone

Expresses a tentative guess or possibility, often used when asking a question or making a suggestion. Similar to もしかすると but slightly more casual.

Usage patterns

もしかして〈事こと〉かもしれないmaybe it's the case that ~ (hedged guess)
もしかして、彼かれは今日きょう来こないかもしれない。
Maybe he won't come today, by any chance.
もしかして〈人ひと〉ですかused to tentatively confirm someone's identity
もしかして、田た中なかさんですか。
By any chance, are you Mr. Tanaka?
もしかして〜んじゃない？casual way to raise a tentative suspicion or guess
もしかして、道みちを間ま違ちがえたんじゃない？
Could it be that we took the wrong road?

Kanji

若young, if, perhaps

Related words

もしかするとN2sense 1
もしかして and もしかすると both express 'perhaps', but もしかすると sounds a bit more formal and is more common in writing.
もしかしたらN3sense 1
もしかしたら is interchangeable with もしかして in casual speech, both softening a guess with uncertainty.
ひょっとして sense 1
ひょっとして carries the same tentative 'by any chance' nuance as もしかして, though it can feel slightly more colloquial.
ひょっとするとN2sense 1
ひょっとすると is a close synonym of もしかして, used similarly to hedge a guess but leaning a touch more formal.
もしや
もしかして is casual and used for a sudden guess, while もしや is more literary and carries stronger emphasis or drama.

Etymology

Formed from conditional もし, the particle か, and して, the conjunctive form of する. The sequence became fixed as an adverb expressing tentative possibility.