N4 Topics
L10: Can I Do It That Way, I Wonder?
Can I Do It That Way, I Wonder?
In this Topic, we’re going to learn one final way よう is used and about the sentence ending particle かしら, which is used to express uncertainty. As we are starting Lesson 10, we have met many ways of using よう by this point. As such, in the Details section, we will comprehensively compare the uses of よう we have learned so far, and also compare かしら to other ways of expressing uncertainty.
Grammar in this Topic
ように
So that, In order to, In such a way that
When partnered with verbs in the potential form, or in the negative form, the auxiliary verb ようだ (in its adverbial form ように) implies that the speaker has a lack of direct control over an outcome, and therefore is 'trying to do (B) in the manner of (A)', but cannot guarantee the result. This grammar point is usually translated as 'to do (A) in such a way that will enable (B)', or 'in order to allow (B)'.
To use ように in this way, simply add it to the non-past form of any verb in its negative, potential, or standard conjugation.
As mentioned in our lesson about potential verbs, する does not actually have a potential form, and therefore できる will be used instead.
かしら
I wonder
Originally, かしら was an abbreviation of か知らぬ, or かしらん, which are both ways of expressing 'whether it's (A), I don't know'. These days, かしら is a standalone sentence ending particle that works in a similar way to かも, by expressing the speaker's uncertainty about the previous statement.
かしら may be attached to the end of almost any phrase that the speaker wants to express doubt about.
Caution
Although the original forms of か知らぬ, or かしらん were useable by anybody, かしら is thought to be very feminine in modern Japanese, and therefore is not often used by men.
Details
In a previous Topic, we have learned how many grammar points are nouns behaving in special ways. よう is another example of this. As we have seen it used in many different contexts, let’s thoroughly examine its meaning . As we study, let’s keep in mind that the most basic meaning of よう is a ‘state’, ‘appearance’ or ‘manner (of doing/being)’.
Appearances Can Be Deceiving
First, let’s look at when よう has the nuance of ‘appearance’. We have seen this used for observations with ようだ, to say something seems (appears) a certain way. But, as an extension of this, we have seen how よう can be used to describe things metaphorically, rather than how they literally appear.
This same logic also applies to patterns like 毎〜のように. Furthermore, the words こんな, そんな and あんな are just contractions of このような, そのような, and あのような.
Let’s look at a full list of examples which capture this use of よう.
Mind Your Manners
When used with verbs, よう is used like an adverb, becoming ように. We have seen how this describes the ‘manner’ in which something is done. It can also point towards the target state of how we want to do something.
This usage is what we see with potential verbs (showing ability), and when naturally or actively reaching a target state with なる or する.
Your Wish Is My Command
ように is not just used for setting targets for yourself, but can also be used for telling others what the target is. This is how it is used with 言う, 祈る, and 〜てほしい. We are telling someone the ‘manner’ in which we want them to do something.
Wonderful
That is more than enough よう for now! Before we finish this Topic, let’s very quickly check the differences between different ‘I wonder…’ phrases. Specifically, かな, かしら, and のだろうか. Let’s compare the examples below, paying attention to the nuance notes beneath the translations!