adverbial N2 uncommon politewritten
果たして — sure enough / as expected
果たして ・ はたして
Meaning
① ①: sure enough / just as one expected — a prediction has been borne out
② ②: (in a question) really / actually — opens a doubtful or rhetorical question
Key sentence
① ①
果たして彼の予想は当たった。
Sure enough, his prediction came true.
② ②
果たしてこの計画はうまくいくのだろうか。
Will this plan really go well, I wonder?
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adverb | 果たして + clause (sense ①) / 果たして + question 〜だろうか・〜か (sense ②) | 果たして〜だろうか |
Examples
① ①
心配していたが、果たしてその通りになった。
I'd been worried, and sure enough it turned out exactly that way.
② ②
果たして彼の言うことは本当なのか。
Is what he says actually true?
Easily confused with
Notes
- Sense ② typically opens a rhetorical or doubtful question in writing, casting doubt on whether something will hold.
See 果たして in real sentences
Jengo shows 果たして the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.