～かなあ

N4

～かなあ

~kanaa

Expressing Uncertainty or Wonder

N4

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Explanation

The ～かなあ grammar point is used to express a feeling of uncertainty or wonder about a situation or statement. It can be translated as 'I wonder' or 'I'm not sure' in English.

Structure

Pattern
Verb-casual + かなあ, い-Adjective + かなあ, (な-Adjective/Noun) + (だ) + かなあ
Verb-casualThe casual form of a verb.
Examples: 降る (furu - rain), 来る (kuru - come)
い-Adjective + かなあUsed after an i-adjective to express uncertainty.
Examples: 美味しいかなあ (oishii kanaa - delicious?)
(な-Adjective/Noun) + (だ) + かなあUsed with na-adjectives or nouns, often omitting 'だ'.
Examples: 学生かなあ (gakusei kanaa - student?)

Examples

Example 1
明日雨が降るかなあ。
Ashita ame ga furu kanaa.
I wonder if it will rain tomorrow.
Breakdown
tokenashita (tomorrow), ame (rain), furu (will rain), kanaa (wondering)
Example 2
このケーキは美味しいかなあ。
Kono keeki wa oishii kanaa.
I wonder if this cake is delicious.
Breakdown
tokenkono (this), keeki (cake), oishii (delicious), kanaa (wondering)
Example 3
彼は病気かなあ。
Kare wa byouki kanaa.
I wonder if he is sick.
Breakdown
tokenkare (he), byouki (sick), kanaa (wondering)
Example 4
彼女は学生かなあ。
Kanojo wa gakusei kanaa.
I wonder if she is a student.
Breakdown
tokenkanojo (she), gakusei (student), kanaa (wondering)

Related Grammar

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