Kamo in Japanese is used to express uncertainty, explained with examples

What is “kamo” in Japanese?

There are some homophones in Japanese, but I will explain “kamo” as a particle-like word in this blog post. From the grammatical point of view, it is the combination of “ka” and “mo”. Native speakers, however, normally use it like one sentence-ending particle to express uncertainty. First, I will explain its definition and meaning. And then, I will explain how to use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “kamo” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “kamo”
  • Example #1: how to express uncertainty with “kamo”
  • Example #2: another usage of “kamo”
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “kamo”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “kamo”.

• kamo – かも : used like a sentence-ending particle to express the uncertainty about what a sentence states. This is often translated into English as “may”, “might”, “perhaps”, or such.

Native speakers use this at the end of a sentence to express the uncertainty about what the sentence has stated. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but its role is similar to those of the English modal verbs like “may”, “might”, and so on. It can work to lower the degree of the certainty of a sentence.

Perhaps, this is known as a part of the phrase, “kamoshirenai”, which Japanese native speakers often use to mean ‘may’, ‘might’, or such. “Kamo” can actually be considered as its shortened and colloquial version.

Then, let me explain how to use this particle-like word through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to express uncertainty with “kamo”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kanojo” to make the subject in the sentence.
• tensai – 天才 (てんさい) : a noun meaning ‘genius’ in Japanese. This can also work as plural. Learn more about Japanese plural.

This is a typical usage of “kamo”. In the example, it works at the end of the sentence to express the uncertainty about what the preceding words have just stated. Native speakers often use “kamo” like this. They add it to the end of a sentence to lower its certainty.

Example #2: another usage of “kamo”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• boku – 僕 (ぼく) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese. This is mainly used by boys and young males.
• tachi – 達 (たち) : a suffix used after a noun or pronoun to make its plural form. In the example, this is used after “boku” to make its plural form, “boku tachi”, which means ‘we’ in Japanese.
• ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese. This can also work as an adverb. In the example, this works as an adverb to say “tomorrow” in Japanese.
• umi – 海 (うみ) : a noun meaning ‘sea’ or ‘ocean’ in Japanese.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say where someone or something goes. In the example, this is used after “umi” to say where “boku tachi” might go tomorrow.
• iku – 行く (いく) : a noun meaning ‘to go’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “kamo”. Again, it works at the end of the sentence to lower its certainty. So, the speaker is not sure if he will really go to the sea tomorrow.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meanings of “kamo” and how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• kamo – かも : used like a sentence-ending particle to express the uncertainty about what a sentence states. Native speakers add this particle to the end of a sentence to express the uncertainty about what the sentence has just stated. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this word is similar to those of the English modal verbs like “may”, “might”, and the like. This can work to lower the degree of the certainty of a sentence.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.