Grammar Info

N2 Lesson 1: 23/23

まいWon't, Intend not to, Probably not

する→しまい/するまい/すまい・くる→きまい/くるまい/こまい

Structure

Verb + まい
Verb［ます］+ まい

Details

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    Formal

About まい

The auxiliary verb まい is used in Japanese to express negative volition. This means that in many ways, it is the opposite of う and よう, which are the auxiliary verbs that express positive volition. まい connects to the base form of verbs, and is considered slightly formal.

まい may be translated as 'won't (A)', 'to intend not to (A)', or 'probably not (A)'. It can be considered as a condensed way of expressing ～ないだろう.

Caution

When appearing with する or 来(く)る, it is also common to see まい connected to the conjunctive form as しまい, すまい, きまい and こまい. However, the standard するまい and 来(く)るまい are also quite common structures.

  • 田中(たなか)くんはとてもいい人なので、そんなひどい事(こと)はしまい。
    Since Tanaka-kun is a nice person, he probably wouldn't do such a terrible thing.
  • 台風(たいふう)の警報(けいほう)が出(で)ているので、今日(きょう)中(じゅう)に届(とど)くはずだった荷物(にもつ)はこまい。
    Since there was a warning announced for the typhoon, I probably won't get the package that I was expecting today.

Examples

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    あの店(みせ)は行列(ぎょうれつ)がすごすぎる。もう行(い)くまい。

    The line at that shop is too crazy. I probably won't go again.

    税金(ぜいきん)が高(たか)いから、この町(まち)には住(す)むまい。

    I don't intend to live in this town because the taxes are high.

    私(わたし)のせいでものすごい苦情(くじょう)だ。もう失敗(しっぱい)するまい。

    I caused the terrible grievances. I intend not to fail again.

    あの人(ひと)の話(はなし)は下品(げひん)だ。二度(にど)と聞(き)くまい。

    That person's stories are vulgar. I probably won't listen to them a second time.

    昨日(きのう)飲(の)みすぎてしまったので、二度(にど)と酒(さけ)は飲(の)むまい。

    Because I drank too much last night, I don't intend to drink ever again.

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まい – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (10 in total)

  • Fuga

    Fuga

    Hey there! This one could be hard because they have a very similar translation. The biggest difference between the two is the nuance. They both are used for assumptions, but まい has a stronger nuance of ‘probably not…’. まい is often used when the speaker is not so certain or confident about something. In contrast to this, はずがない is used when the speaker is more confident about their assumption.

    For example:
    もう失敗するまい。‘I intend not to fail again.’ The nuance this has is ‘I don’t intend to fail again, but I might fail.’ (Very little confidence)

    もう失敗するはずがない。‘It is very unlikely that I will fail again.’ When はずがない is used, it shows that the speaker is very confident that they would not fail again, but at the same time, not dismissing the fact that they might fail.

    I hope that this explanation helps you understand the difference!

  • dokidokiwakuwaku

    dokidokiwakuwaku

    Very helpful, thank you!

  • dokidokiwakuwaku

    dokidokiwakuwaku

    Sorry, one more question–how would this point differ from つもりはない？

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