Grammar Info
N4 Lesson 10: 2/18

かしら
I wonder

Structure
Phrase + かしら
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
Information
Originally, かしら was an abbreviation of か知(し)らぬ, or かしらん, which are both ways of expressing ‘whether it’s (A), I don’t know’. These days, かしら is a standalone 終助詞(しゅうじょし) (sentence-ending particle) that works in a similar way to かも, by expressing the speaker’s uncertainty about the previous statement.
かしら may be attached to the end of almost any phrase that the speaker wants to express doubt about.
  • あそこいるのはタケル君(くん)かしら
    I wonder if that person over there is Takeru-kun.
  • 明日(あした)晴(は)れかしら
    I wonder if it will clear up tomorrow.
Caution
Although the original forms of か知(し)らぬ, or かしらん were useable by anybody, かしら is thought to be very feminine in modern Japanese, and therefore is not often used by men.
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今日(きょう)雨(あめ)降(ふ)るかしら
I wonder if it will rain today.
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すぐ冷房(れいぼう)つけてくれないかしら
I wonder if they won't turn on the air conditioning for us soon.
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ここ食(た)べてもいいかしら
I wonder if it is ok to eat here.
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Books
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 48 & 181
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 206