GRAMMAR DETAIL
〜まいか
Expresses a cautious conjecture as though asking the listener for their view rather than asserting a conclusion.
Examples
この方法なら、負担を減らせるのではあるまいか。
Might this method reduce the burden?
Words used
この結果は偶然ではあるまいか。
Could this result be a coincidence?
Words used
Study notes
1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning
- Structure: The examples use the formal conjectural expression
（の）ではあるまいか, which raises a possibility through a negative question. - Basic usage:
この結果は偶然ではあるまいか。cautiously raises the possibility that the result is a coincidence.
2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions
- How ka changes the direction of inference
偶然ではあるまいconjectures that something is probably not a coincidence, whereas偶然ではあるまいかasks whether it might be one. Removing the finalかchanges the direction of the conjecture.
- Attaching it to a verbal proposition
負担を減らせるのではあるまいかusesのto take up the proposition that the burden can be reduced and ask about that possibility. A similar meaning can be expressed with負担を減らせるのではないだろうか.