まい
mai
Will not; intend not to
Expresses the speaker's firm intention not to do something or a prediction that something will not happen.
How to form it
Attaches to the dictionary form of verbs (e.g., 行く → 行くまい). For する, both するまい and すまい are used; for 来る, 来るまい (くるまい) is standard.
What it means
This pattern is fairly formal and literary. In everyday conversation, you would usually say ないつもりだ or just use the negative form (e.g., 行かない). But まい appears in written Japanese, speeches, and set phrases. It has two main uses: expressing the speaker's strong intention not to do something, or expressing a negative conjecture about something (probably won't). For example, そんなことは言うまい means 'I will not say such a thing.' When used for conjecture, it often combines with だろう or に違いない: 彼は来るまい (He probably won't come). Note that まい does not change for politeness; it is always plain.
Example sentences
もう二度とあの店には行くまい。
Mou nidoto ano mise ni wa iku mai.
I will never go to that store again.
彼はそんな簡単な間違いをするまい。
Kare wa sonna kantan na machigai o suru mai.
He would not make such a simple mistake.
約束は守るまいと思ったが、やはり守るべきだ。
Yakusoku wa mamoru mai to omotta ga, yahari mamoru beki da.
I thought I would not keep the promise, but I should after all.
Don’t confuse it with
ないつもりだ / つもりはない
まい is formal and often suggests a strong internal resolve or a negative guess. つもりはない is more common in speech and clearly means 'have no intention of.' For conjecture, use まい only in writing; in speech use たぶん～ないだろう.
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Formal and literary; rarely used in casual conversation, where negative forms or つもりはない are preferred.
Next in the N2 path
6Questions
What does まい mean?
Will not; intend not to. Expresses the speaker's firm intention not to do something or a prediction that something will not happen.
How do you form まい?
Attaches to the dictionary form of verbs (e.g., 行く → 行くまい). For する, both するまい and すまい are used; for 来る, 来るまい (くるまい) is standard.
Example of まい in a sentence
もう二度とあの店には行くまい。 — I will never go to that store again.
ないつもりだ / つもりはない — what is the difference?
まい is formal and often suggests a strong internal resolve or a negative guess. つもりはない is more common in speech and clearly means 'have no intention of.' For conjecture, use まい only in writing; in speech use たぶん～ないだろう.
What JLPT level is まい?
JLPT N2 (upper intermediate), number 5 of 195 in Nihoner's learning order for N2.
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