もしかしたら

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Japanese

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Alternative spelling
若しかしたら

Etymology

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From もしか (moshi ka, “perhaps, if”) + したら (shitara, “if doing”).[1][2]

Pronunciation

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  • (Tokyo) も​しかしたら [móꜜshì kà shìtàrà] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
  • IPA(key): [mo̞ɕi̥ ka̠ ɕi̥ta̠ɾa̠]

Conjunction

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もしかしたら • (moshi ka shitara) 

  1. perhaps, maybe, possibly
    もしかしたら、今日(きょう)小(お)野(の)さんが来(く)るかもしれない。
    Moshi ka shitara, kyō Ono-san ga kuru ka mo shirenai.
    Perhaps Ms. Ono will not come today.

Usage notes

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The use of the hypothetical したら (shitara) suggests supposition about the outcome, compared to the more certain consequence implied by すると (suru to).

Synonyms

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References

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  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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