(の)でしょうか・(の)だろうか

About

Combine the question particle か with でしょう or だろう to express "I wonder..." or to ask a polite question. Compared to でしょうか which is generally more polite, and in casual contexts, feminine, だろうか is either more masculine and casual or in written contexts, more formal and literary.

でしょうか・だろうか can be preceded by の (なの if the preceding word is a noun/な-adjective), which indicates that the speaker is worried or uneasy about the topic being discussed.

Summary

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  でしょうか・だろうか are used to express "I wonder..."

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  でしょうか is polite, and in casual contexts can sound feminine

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  だろうか can sound masculine/gruff in casual contexts, or formal and literary in written Japanese

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  The addition of (な)の before でしょうか・だろうか indicates that the speaker is worried or uneasy