〜かな / 〜かしら "I wonder…"

Sentence-final particles expressing wondering or a soft question to oneself; かしら is traditionally feminine.

かな at the end of a sentence means "I wonder…": 明日は雨かな = I wonder if it'll rain tomorrow. It is a soft question you ask yourself, or a gentle question to a friend that does not demand an answer. かしら means the same and is traditionally used by women. Nouns and な-adjectives attach directly (雨かな, 元気かな). A special use is 〜ないかな, which expresses a hope: 早く夏休みにならないかな = I wish summer holidays would come soon.

Thinking aloud (どこに置いたかな), wondering about someone (田中さん、来るかな), checking gently with a friend (これでいいかな？), and wishing (早く来ないかな). Casual only: use でしょうか to a superior. かしら sounds feminine and somewhat old-fashioned; かな is neutral today.

• Plain form + かな: 来るかな, 来たかな, 高いかな
• Noun / な-adjective + かな (no だ): 雨かな, 大丈夫かな
• 〜かなあ (drawn out) for stronger wondering
• 〜ないかな: a hope (早く終わらないかな)
• かしら: same uses, feminine

1. 01

   明日は雨かな。

   あしたは あめかな。

   I wonder if it'll rain tomorrow.

   Noun + かな, no だ.

2. 02

   田中さん、来るかなあ。

   たなかさん、くるかなあ。

   I wonder if Tanaka will come.

   かなあ: drawn out, wondering about a person.

3. 03

   早く夏休みにならないかな。

   はやく なつやすみに ならないかな。

   I wish summer holidays would come soon.

   〜ないかな: a wish, not a doubt.

4. 04

   あれ、鍵をどこに置いたかな。

   あれ、かぎを どこに おいたかな。

   Hmm, where did I put my keys?

   Thinking aloud with a question word + past + かな.

5. 05

   このプレゼント、彼女、喜んでくれるかな。

   この プレゼント、かのじょ、よろこんでくれるかな。

   I wonder if she'll be happy with this present.

   Uncertainty about another person's reaction.

• 〜だろう／でしょう

  でしょうか is the polite way to wonder. かな is casual and more inward. Compare side by side

• 〜かもしれない

  かもしれない states a possibility ("might"); かな asks a question to yourself. Compare side by side

• 〜かどうか

  かどうか embeds "whether or not" inside a sentence (来るかどうか分からない). かな stands at the end. Compare side by side

• ✗

  明日は雨だかな。

  ✓

  明日は雨かな。

  Why

  Nouns and な-adjectives drop だ before かな.

• ✗

  先生、これでいいかな？

  ✓

  先生、これでいいでしょうか。

  Why

  かな is casual; to a teacher use でしょうか.

• ✗

  早く春が来るかな。(meaning: I wish spring would come)

  ✓

  早く春が来ないかな。

  Why

  The hope meaning needs ないかな. 来るかな is a plain doubt ("will spring come soon?").

In listening tests かな is very common; it signals the speaker is unsure or thinking, which often hides the answer to the question. 〜かなと思う puts the wondering inside a polite sentence: 行こうかなと思っています (I'm thinking I might go). かしら is heard mainly from older women and in fiction; young speakers of both sexes use かな.