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(よ)うか〜まいか details

Examples

whether to do it or not — the speaker weighing an action against not taking it

参加さんかしようかしまいか、りのまでまよっていた。

sanka shiyou ka shimai ka, shimekiri no hi made mayotte ita.

I went back and forth on whether to take part, right up to the deadline. neutral

こえをかけようかかけまいかまよったが、結局けっきょくだまってとおぎた。

koe o kakeyou ka kakemai ka mayotta ga, kekkyoku damatte toorisugita.

I hesitated over whether to say something to him, and in the end walked past without a word. neutral

今期こんき計画けいかく見直みなおそうか見直みなおすまいかで、役員会やくいんかいでも意見いけんかれております。

konki no keikaku o minaosou ka minaosumai ka de, yakuinkai de mo iken ga wakarete orimasu.

Even the board is divided over whether to revise this term's plan. formal

Formation

Notes

Both halves repeat one verb; the head is a verb of wavering — まよう,
なやむ, めかねる — or of division, 意見いけんかれる. The
まい half takes whichever class shape its own verb has.

Related patterns

Similar

  • かどうか embeds any yes/no question under a verb of knowing or asking (るかどうかからない); (よ)うか〜まいか reports only the speaker's own wavering about acting, so its subject is the would-be actor and its head a verb of hesitation.

  • まい on its own asserts a conclusion (くまい); this frame sets まい against the volitional so that neither side is asserted, which is why it takes まよう and なやむ as its head where bare まい never does.

Lookalikes

  • Both repeat one verb inside a か〜か frame, but か〜ないかのうちに is a TIME clause pairing plain affirmative and negative to blur two events (るからないかのうちに); this one pairs volitional with まい and marks no time at all.

Same meaning

whether; who/what/where inside a sentence

PatternAttaches to
かどうか