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Grammar detail: 〜ではないだろうか

〜ではないだろうか
could it be that ~; might it be that ~
81 words
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noun
+
ではないだろうか
means
could it be that ~; might it be that ~
あの
ひと
人
は
わたし
私
たち
の
あたら
新
しい
せんせい
先生
ではないだろうか。
He might be our new teacher.
けんさ
検査
に
てお
手落
ち
があったのではないだろうか。
I suspect that there was an oversight in the examination.
Other patterns:
verb plain
+
のではないだろうか
い adjective
+
のではないだろうか
な adjective
+
な
+
のではないだろうか
お
たく
宅
のお
みせ
店
が
と
取
りあつかっている
ぼうし
帽子
は
じみ
地味
すぎて
う
売
り
あ
上
げ
が
お
落
ちている
のではないでしょうか。
Might the reason for the drop in sales not be that the hats your store carries are too plain?
もめん
木綿
が
たか
高
く
て、この
きじ
生地
にすればもっともうけになると
おも
思
っていた
のではないだろうか。
I imagine she chose this material because cotton is expensive and she thought she could make more profit this way.
When speaking politely でしょうか should be used rather than だろうか, as can be seen in the next example. It is also a useful expression to make suggestions to people that may require a level of sensitivity. This is also demonstrated in the next example.
しゃか
釈迦
に
せっぽう
説法
とは
ぞん
存
じます
が、
いしゃ
医者
も
きんえん
禁煙
された
ほうがよろしいのではないでしょうか。
I'm sure you don't need me to tell you this, but wouldn't it be a good idea to stop smoking?
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Kanji used in this grammar

人
ジン   ニン   ひと person   
私
シ   わたくし    わたし I, myself   
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新
シン   あたらしい    あらた    にい- new   
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先
セン   さき ahead   
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生
セイ   ショウ    life   なま raw   いかす to enliven   いきる to live   いける to arrange flowers   うまれる to be born   うむ to give birth to   き pure, undiluted   おう to grow, to sprout   はえる to grow, to sprout   はやす to grow, cultivate   
検
ケン    investigation   
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査
サ    investigation   
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手
シュ   hand   て    た-    
落
ラク   おちる to fall   おとす to drop (something)   
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宅
タク    home   
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店
テン   みせ shop   
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取
シュ   とる to take   
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帽
ボウ    cap   
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子
シ   ス   こ child   
地
チ   ジ    ground   
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味
ミ   あじ taste   あじわう to taste   
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売
バイ   うる to sell   うれる to be selling; be in demand   
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上
ジョウ   ショウ   うえ above   うわ- above   あげる to raise   あがる to rise   かみ first half, upper part   のぼる to climb   のぼせる to bring up, to raise   のぼす to bring up   
木
モク   ボク   き    こ- tree   
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綿
メン   わた cotton   
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高
コウ   expensive; high   たか    たかい expensive, tall, high   たかまる to be elevated   たかめる to promote, heighten   
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思
シ   おもう to think   
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釈
シャク    explanation   
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迦
カ   (no meaning)
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説
セツ   ゼイ   とく to explain, persuade   
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法
ホウ   ハッ   ホッ    method   
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存
ソン   ゾン    suppose   
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医
イ    doctor   
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者
シャ   もの person, someone   
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禁
キン    prohibition   
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煙
エン   けむり smoke   けむる to smoke (chimney etc.)   けむい smoky   
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