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Formation: Group 1 V-dictionary + まい (行くまい); Group 2 V-stem or V-dictionary + まい (見まい／見るまい); する→するまい／すまい／しまい; 来る→来るまい／来まい; N / na-adj + ではあるまい; i-adj (〜く) + はあるまい

Has two meanings: the speaker's firm decision not to do something (negative of the volitional, often in 〜まいと思う／決める), and a guess that something probably won't happen (a stiff equivalent of 〜ないだろう). It sounds written, literary or old-fashioned, and everyday speech uses 〜ないつもりだ or 〜ないだろう instead. The resolve meaning is about the speaker's own action. Third-person subjects usually get the conjecture reading. Compare 〜ものか, a hot, spoken refusal ('as if I would!'), while まい is calm and literary. まい also appears in set patterns such as 〜(よ)うが〜まいが ('whether or not'), 〜まいとして ('trying not to') and 〜でもあるまい ('it's not as if…').

Variants: まいと思う、まいとして、ではあるまいし、ことはあるまい

Examples

• あんな店には二度と行くまいと心に決めた。
  I made up my mind never to go to that shop again.
• この空模様なら、今日は雨は降るまい。
  Judging by the sky, it probably won't rain today.
• 彼がそんな嘘をつくことはあるまい。
  He would hardly tell a lie like that.

In real texts 0 occurrence(s)

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