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JLPT N4Sentence Ending Particles

かしら— I wonder (feminine)

A sentence-final particle expressing self-directed wondering or mild uncertainty. Traditionally associated with feminine speech; equivalent to かな but softer/more feminine in register.

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Pro lessonUNIT 22 · SENTENCE ENDING PARTICLES

Structure · 形

[Plain form] + かしら

Examples · 例文

  • 彼は来るかしら。

    Kare wa kuru kashira.

    I wonder if he'll come.

    かしら = feminine self-directed wondering

  • このドレス、似合うかしら。

    Kono doresu, niau kashira.

    I wonder if this dress suits me.

    Uncertainty about appearance

  • もう着いたかしら。心配だわ。

    Mō tsuita kashira. Shinpai da wa.

    I wonder if she's arrived. I'm worried.

    Anxious feminine wondering

Usage notes · 注意

  • Key Concept: かしら = traditionally feminine;
  • Note: male speakers use かな.
  • Detail: both express self-directed wondering.
  • Detail: かしら can also be used when the speaker knows the answer but muses rhetorically.
  • Summary: modern usage is trending toward gender-neutral, especially in media/fiction.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones かしら is tested against.

vsかな (I wonder)

かな is the gender-neutral/masculine-leaning equivalent for self-directed wondering. かしら carries a softer, traditionally feminine tone but means the same thing.

vsだろうか

だろうか is a more neutral/literary way to muse 'I wonder if...', usable in writing and by any speaker. かしら is colloquial and speech-register bound.

More sentence ending particles

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