恐らく

Japanese
Kanji in this term
恐
おそ
Grade: S
kun’yomi

Etymology

Abbreviation of 恐(おそ)らくは (osoraku wa), itself a contraction of obsolete 恐(おそ)るらくは (osoruraku wa), composed of 恐(おそ)る (osoru, “to fear”, obsolete earlier form of modern 恐(おそ)れる (osoreru)) + らく (-raku, “state, act, or fact of doing”, nominalizing suffix) + は (wa, topic particle).[1][2] Compare English use of the term afraid, as in the phrases “I'm afraid so”, or “I'm afraid that ...”, to express a sense of probably.

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) おそ​らく [òsóꜜràkù] (Nakadaka – [2])[2]
  • IPA(key): [o̞so̞ɾa̠kɯ̟ᵝ]

Adverb

恐(おそ)らく • (osoraku) 

  1. probably, in all likelihood

Usage notes
  • The term osoraku expresses a higher degree of certainty than tabun.
  • Often used when predicting a negative outcome.

Synonyms

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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