Tabun: Japanese people use it when they’re uncertain if the thing happens

What does “tabun” mean in Japanese?

Native speakers say “tabun” to mean ‘maybe’ or ‘probably’ in Japanese. They normally use it when they are uncertain if something happens or if something is true. So, not only its meanings but its usages as well are very similar to those of the English words, “maybe” and “probably”.

Probably, some Japanese learners know this word well as it’s quite often used in Japanese movies, songs, anime, manga, and the like. In this blog post, however, I will explain this word in detail based on its kanji expression. And also, I will explain how Japanese people use it through example sentences. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “tabun” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definitions and meanings of “tabun”
• Tabun in kanji
  • Example #1: how to say “maybe” in Japanese
  • Example #2: another usage of “tabun”
• Summary

Definitions and meanings of “tabun”

Let me start with the definitions and meanings of “tabun”.

• tabun – 多分 (たぶん) : an adverb of probability, meaning ‘maybe’ or ‘probably’. This can also work as a noun to mean ‘a large amount or number (of something)’.

“Tabun” can work as both an adverb and a noun in Japanese, but native speakers mainly use it as an adverb to say “maybe” or “probably” especially in daily conversations.

The definitions and meanings are not so difficult, I think. To understand this word more clearly, however, let me explain its kanji characters in detail, one by one.

Tabun in kanji

The kanji expression of “tabun” consists of the following two characters:

• 多 : a kanji character often used as a prefix to add the meaning of ‘many’, ‘a lot of’, ‘much’, or such in Japanese.
• 分 : a kanji character used to mean ‘part’ or ‘portion’ in Japanese.

From these two kanji characters, we can understand that “tabun” literally mean ‘many parts’ in Japanese. This kanji concept seems to be in line with its meanings as a noun. Yet, this concept is still very close to its meanings as an adverb. Being relatively high or high in probability means occupying a large number in the probability scale.

When we meet new kanji expressions, we should check their kanji characters in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, kanji characters tell us a lot about meanings of words they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “tabun” though the detailed kanji check above.

Then, let me explain how Japanese people use “tabun” in daily conversations through the example sentences below.

Example #1: how to say “maybe” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kare – 彼 (かれ) : a pronoun meaning ‘he’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kare” to make the subject word in the sentence.
• okure – 遅れ (おくれ) : one conjugation of the verb, “okureru”, which means ‘to be late’ or ‘to be delayed’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form. In the example, this is used after “okure” to make its te form, “okure te”.
• kuru – 来る (くる) : a verb meaning ‘to come’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “tabun”. In this example, it works as an adverb to say “maybe” in Japanese. Native speakers often use it like this, so this example sentence is worth knowing.

Example #2: another usage of “tabun”

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• ashita – 明日 (あした) : a noun meaning ‘tomorrow’ in Japanese.
• ii – 良い (いい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘good’ in Japanese. In the example, this works before “hi” to describe it.
• hi – 日 (ひ) : a noun meaning ‘day’ in Japanese. This can also work as a plural noun. Learn about Japanese plural.
• ni – に : a case particle used to say what someone or something becomes after a change or action. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “ii hi”, to say what “ashita” will become.
• naru – なる : a verb meaning ‘to become’, ‘to turn’, ‘to get’, or just ‘to be’ in Japanese.

This is another typical usage of “tabun”. When we want to say “maybe” in Japanese, this adverb is a very good option.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the definitions and meanings of “tabun” and its kanji expression in detail. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• tabun – 多分 (たぶん) : an adverb of probability, meaning ‘maybe’ or ‘probably’. This can also work as a noun to mean ‘a large amount or number (of something)’. These two kanji characters mean ‘many’ and ‘part’ respectively, so this word literally means ‘many parts’ in Japanese. This kanji concept seems to be in line with the meanings: as a noun, it means exactly the same thing; as an adverb, it means occupying a large number in the probability scale.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.