果はたして

は

た

し

て

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

adverb

as expected; sure enough; just as one thought

Used when a result or situation matches prior expectation, often with a tone of confirmation or mild surprise that things turned out as predicted.

果はたして、彼かれは約やく束そくの時じ間かんに現あらわれた。
Sure enough, he showed up at the promised time.

果はたして、天てん気き予よ報ほう通どおり雨あめになった。

Just as expected, it started raining as the forecast said.

2

adverb

really; actually; ever

Used in questions or hypothetical statements to express doubt, curiosity, or to emphasize the uncertainty of a proposition. Often translates to 'really' or 'ever' in English.

果はたして彼かれは成せい功こうするだろうか。
Will he really succeed, I wonder?
果はたしてそんなことが可か能のうなのか。
Is such a thing actually possible?

Written forms

果はたしてUsage58%
Standard kanji spelling; the most frequent written form.
はたしてUsage32%
果はたしてUsage10%
Variant without okurigana; less common but still encountered.

Kanji

果fruit, reward, carry out

Similar words

やはり
やはり also means 'as expected', but is more casual and broadly used for general expectations, while 果たして often carries a nuance of confirmation after some doubt or waiting.
本ほん当とうに
本当に means 'really' in a straightforward sense, while 果たして in questions adds a layer of doubt or rhetorical wondering.

Etymology

Derived from the noun 果たし (hatashi, 'end, result') + て (conjunctive particle), originally meaning 'in the end' or 'as a result'. The adverbial use developed into expressing outcomes matching expectations and later into rhetorical questioning.