N3Grammar

まさか

I never dreamed, Never, No way, Don't tell me, You don't say

Structure

まさか + Phrase

Explanation

Typically written entirely in hiragana, まさか originates from まさ, a noun for 'exact' or 'precise', combined with the adverbial particle か. In contemporary Japanese, まさか functions as a single adverb to express disbelief, translating to 'no way', 'it can't be', or 'surely not'.

Since it functions mainly as an adverb, まさか is usually placed at the start of a sentence, right before the clause that contains the shocking or surprising information.

まさか山田(やまだ)さんがあの試験(しけん)に合格(ごうかく)するとは思(おも)っていなかったよ。
I never would have thought that Yamada would pass that exam.
まさかこの店(みせ)がもう閉店(へいてん)なんて。
It can't be that this shop is already closed!

Fun Fact

The まさ in まさか comes from the kanji 正(まさ), which carries the meaning of 'precise' or 'actual'. Although this noun is seldom used on its own today, it forms the adverb まさに, meaning 'precisely'. In contrast, まさか expresses disbelief. Its literal sense, however, is closer to 'is it really true?' or 'is it for real?', stemming from the role of か in forming questions.

それがまさに私(わたし)が言(い)いたかったことです。
That is precisely what I wanted to say.
まさかコンサートが中止(ちゅうし)になったって本当(ほんとう)なの？
Is it really true that the concert was canceled?

Examples

まさか彼(かれ)が試験(しけん)に落(お)ちるなんて信(しん)じられない。

There's no way he failed the exam. I can't believe it.

まさかこんな田舎(いなか)の店(みせ)で有名人(ゆうめいじん)に会(あ)うとは思(おも)わなかった。

I never thought I'd meet a celebrity in a shop in the middle of nowhere.

まさか…私(わたし)のケーキ、全部(ぜんぶ)食(た)べちゃったの？

Don't tell me... did you eat all of my cake?

まさか電車(でんしゃ)に傘(かさ)を忘(わす)れてきたわけじゃないよね。

Don't tell me you left your umbrella on the train, right?

まさかあんなに静(しず)かな人(ひと)が歌手(かしゅ)だったなんて、びっくりだよ。

I never dreamed that such a quiet person was a singer. I'm so surprised.

まさかこの試合(しあい)で逆転(ぎゃくてん)するとは、誰(だれ)も予想(よそう)していなかった。

No one ever imagined they would make a comeback in this game.

まさかこんなに高(たか)いレストランだとは知(し)らなかった。

I had no idea this restaurant would be this expensive.

まさか自分(じぶん)がスピーチコンテストで優勝(ゆうしょう)できるなんて、今(いま)でも信(しん)じられません。

I never dreamed that I would win the speech contest. I still can't believe it.

急(きゅう)に静(しず)かになったけど、まさか寝(ね)てないよね？

It suddenly got quiet... you didn't fall asleep, did you?

まさかあのおとなしい田中(たなか)さんが会社(かいしゃ)を辞(や)めるなんて…。

I can't believe that the quiet Mr. Tanaka is quitting the company...

まさか空港(くうこう)に着(つ)いてからパスポートを忘(わす)れたことに気(き)づくとは…。

I never imagined I'd only realize I forgot my passport after getting to the airport...

まさかこの年(とし)になって初(はじ)めての海外旅行(かいがいりょこう)に行(い)くことになるとは思(おも)いませんでした。

I never dreamed that I'd be going on my first trip abroad at this age.