JLPT N1 reference · Advanced stance
ではあるまいか
It advances a reflective conjecture or rhetorical proposal roughly meaning “might it not be that…?”
Core meaning and form
Use ではあるまいか after nouns or な-adjectival predicates; verbs commonly take のではあるまいか. The pattern belongs mainly to formal essays, criticism, and deliberative prose.
- Form: Use ではあるまいか after nouns or な-adjectival predicates; verbs commonly take のではあるまいか.
- Core use: It advances a reflective conjecture or rhetorical proposal roughly meaning “might it not be that…?”
- Context: The pattern belongs mainly to formal essays, criticism, and deliberative prose.
Examples in context
これは制度そのものの問題ではあるまいか。Kore wa seido sono mono no mondai dewa arumai ka.Might this not be a problem with the system itself?
別の方法も検討すべきなのではあるまいか。Betsu no hōhō mo kentō subeki na no dewa arumai ka.Should we not also consider another method?
原因は情報不足にあるのではあるまいか。Gen’in wa jōhō busoku ni aru no dewa arumai ka.Could the cause not lie in insufficient information?
Common errors
- Do not select this pattern from an English translation alone; check its attachment and discourse function.
- Keep the surrounding sentence in a consistent plain, polite, spoken, or written register.
Quick summary
- Use ではあるまいか after nouns or な-adjectival predicates; verbs commonly take のではあるまいか.
- It advances a reflective conjecture or rhetorical proposal roughly meaning “might it not be that…?”
- The pattern belongs mainly to formal essays, criticism, and deliberative prose.