〜（よ）うか〜まいか: Whether Or Not / Debating Whether To
Staging the hesitation itself
〜（よ）うか〜まいか is almost always used for a decision the speaker (or a character) is turning over in their own mind — should I do this or not — often before finally landing on a choice.
彼に本当のことを言おうか言うまいか、ずっと迷っていた。
かれに ほんとうの ことを いおうか いうまいか、ずっと まよっていた。
I kept agonizing over whether to tell him the truth or not.
言おうか言うまいか — the same verb 言う in both forms.
旅行に行こうか行くまいか、まだ決めていない。
りょこうに いこうか いくまいか、まだ きめていない。
I still haven't decided whether to go on the trip or not.
Volitional + まいか pattern
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (volitional + negative-volitional, same verb) | Vよう(か)〜V+まいか | 買おうか買うまいか |
| Group 1/2 verbs | 〜(よ)うか〜まいか | 食べようか食べまいか |
やったんは、モチに秘密を打ち明けようか打ち明けまいかと、一晩中悩んでいた。
やったんは、モチに ひみつを うちあけようか うちあけまいかと、ひとばんじゅう なやんでいた。
Yattan agonized all night over whether to confide his secret in Mochi or not.
Original example — the classic internal-debate use.
〜（よ）うか〜まいか vs. 〜かどうか
〜かどうか simply reports an unresolved fact ("whether or not it will rain") and can attach to almost anything, including states and adjectives. 〜（よ）うか〜まいか is narrower — it's reserved for a volitional decision the speaker is actively wavering over, and it repeats the verb in two conjugated forms rather than using one clause + かどうか. You can't use うかまいか for a fact outside your control, like the weather.
転職しようかしまいか、何度も考え直した。
てんしょくしようか しまいか、なんども かんがえなおした。
I reconsidered over and over whether to change jobs or not.
The short version
- 〜（よ）うか〜まいか = "wondering/debating whether to do it or not"
- Attaches to: the same verb, once in volitional form and once in negative-volitional (まい) form
- Nuance/register: literary/formal; dramatizes active inner hesitation over a decision
- Don't confuse with: 〜かどうか (neutral, reports any unresolved fact, not just a decision)
Practice it
Pick （よ）うか〜まいか when the sentence dramatizes hesitation over a decision to act.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
海外留学の話を聞いて、太郎は＿＿＿、なかなか決心がつかずにいる。
Where 〜（よ）うか〜まいか fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜ても · N4 — 〜ても means 'even if' or 'even though': 雨が降っても行く. Learn the て-form base, でも after voiced verbs, the い-adj and noun patterns, and question word + ても.
More N1 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜ゆえに — 〜ゆえに is a formal, literary expression meaning 'therefore' or 'because of' — it attaches to nouns and adjectives (often with が or の) to state a reason in written, academic, or classical-sounding Japanese.
- 〜ざる — 〜ざる is the classical attributive negative form (from ず), fossilized today in formal set phrases like ざるを得ない ('cannot help but'), ざる事情 ('unavoidable circumstances'), and ざるべからず ('must not fail to').
- 〜ずくめ — 〜ずくめ attaches to a noun to mean 'nothing but / entirely' — describing a situation, outfit, or run of events made up of one single thing, color, or quality with no exceptions, often positive (いいことずくめ) or visually total (黒ずくめ).
- 〜を控えて — 〜を控えて means 'with (an event) coming up soon,' marking an upcoming occasion — an exam, wedding, or election — that explains why someone is busy or acting a certain way now.
- 〜た瞬間に — 〜た瞬間に attaches to the past-tense (た-form) verb and means 'the moment / the instant that' — it marks a second event that occurs immediately, almost simultaneously, right as the first one finishes.
- 〜をもって — 〜をもって is a formal written expression meaning 'by means of X' or, with a time noun, 'as of / effective X' — standard in official announcements, contracts, ceremonies, and business closing notices.