JLPT N3 grammar

〜ないかな／ないかしらmeaning and usage

Meaning

I wonder if/suppose A; I fear that A

How to form it

  • verb (nai-form)かな/かしら
  • verb (plain form)/い-adjectiveんじゃないかな/かしら
  • noun/な-adjective (stem)（なん）じゃないかな/かしら

How it is used

1) 「〜ないかな」 after a verb voices a wish: 'I wish A would happen'. 2) 「〜（ん）じゃないかな」 offers a soft guess: 'I suppose A'. 「かしら」 is traditionally feminine; 「かな」 is used by anyone.

Examples

  1. 彼女に会ったのは十年ぶりじゃないかしら。

    I suppose that it's been ten years since I last saw her.

  2. 早く夏休みにならないかな。

    I wish summer vacation would hurry up and come.

  3. その店、今日は休みなんじゃないかしら。

    I suppose that shop is closed today.