N4 Appearance & Hearsay

~はず: meaning, usage and examples

~はず means: be supposed to be the case.

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 田中たなかさんはもう着ついたはずです。

   Mr. Tanaka should have arrived already.

2. この薬くすりを飲のめば、治なおるはずです。

   If you take this medicine, you should get better.

3. 店みせは十時じゅうじに開あくはずです。

   The shop should open at ten.

4. 木村きむらさんは今日きょう休やすみのはずです。

   Mr. Kimura is supposed to be off today.

When to use it

はずだ means "should be" or "is expected to be". The speaker draws a confident conclusion from facts, schedules or logic: 店みせは十時じゅうじに開あくはずです (The shop should open at ten). はずがない means "there is no way that": 彼かれがうそをつくはずがない (There is no way he would lie).

Nuance

Shows strong confidence based on reasons, not just a feeling. In the past (はずだった) it often means things did not go as expected. はずだ is about expectation, not duty: it never means "should" in the sense of advice or obligation.

Compare

はずだ vs べきだ: はずだ is expectation (着つくはずだ: it should arrive), べきだ is obligation (行いくべきだ: you ought to go). はずだ vs と思おもう / でしょう: はずだ rests on clear reasons and sounds more certain. はずがない vs ないはず: はずがない strongly denies a possibility; ないはずだ expects that something is not the case.

Tip: For advice like "you should rest", use ほうがいい (休やすんだほうがいい), not はず. はず only says what you expect to be true.