まい
Won't, Intend not to, Probably not
Structure
Verb［stem］+ まい
Explanation
The auxiliary verb まい is used to convey a speaker's negative intention or negative speculation. In this way, it can be seen as the opposite of the volitional forms う and よう, which express a positive intention. まい attaches to the dictionary form of a verb and has a slightly formal, literary feel.
まい can be translated as 'I'm determined not to (A)', 'I won't (A)', or 'most likely not (A)'. It can be thought of as a more compact alternative to saying ～ないだろう.
- あんなにすぐ壊れる製品はもう買うまい。I'm definitely not buying a product that breaks that easily again.
- このケーキはとても甘そうだから、全部は食べまい。This cake looks incredibly sweet, so I probably won't eat the whole thing.
Caution
For the verbs する or 来る, it is also possible to attach まい to the conjunctive form, creating variations like しまい, すまい, きまい, and こまい. However, the standard dictionary form connections, するまい and 来るまい, are also very common.
- 彼女はいつも真面目だから、宿題を忘れるなんてことはすまい。She's always so diligent, so she probably wouldn't forget her homework.
- 彼は今、海外にいるはずだ。こんな早く帰ってきまい。He's supposed to be overseas right now. He probably won't be back this soon.
Examples
あの監督の映画は退屈すぎた。もう二度と見るまい。
That director's movie was too boring. I don't intend to ever watch one again.
もう夜遅いから、図書館はやっているまい。
Since it's late at night, the library probably isn't open anymore.
遅刻して皆に迷惑をかけた。もう二度と繰り返すまい。
I was late and caused trouble for everyone. I vow not to let it happen again.
この高級な材料からして、このケーキがまずくはあるまい。
Judging by these high-quality ingredients, this cake is probably not bad.
甘い物を食べすぎてお腹を壊した。しばらくお菓子は食べるまい。
I got a stomachache from eating too many sweets. I won't be eating any snacks for a while.
彼は専門家なのだから、その意見は間違いではあるまい。
Since he's an expert, his opinion is probably not a mistake.
プレゼントは完璧に隠した。まさか息子に見つかるまい。
I hid the present perfectly. There's no way my son will find it.
どうせ彼は人の助言を聞かない。もう何も忠告するまい。
He doesn't listen to advice anyway. I won't bother warning him about anything else.
あれだけ練習したのだから、彼がこの試合に負けるまい。
After practicing that much, he probably won't lose this match.
あの会社にはひどい扱いを受けた。もう二度とあそこで働くまい。
I was treated terribly at that company. I will never work there again.
これだけの証拠があれば、彼の有罪を証明するのは困難ではあるまい。
With this much evidence, proving his guilt probably won't be difficult.
チームリーダーはとても厳しい人だから、こんな簡単なミスを見逃すまい。
The team leader is a very strict person, so he probably won't overlook such a simple mistake.