もしかしたら

Japanese
Alternative spelling
若しかしたら

Etymology

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

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

Conjunction

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

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

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