might, could possibly, liable to

Intermediate

20-25 min

common

Expert Reviewed

Explanation

Indicates possibility of an undesirable outcome.

[Verb ます-stem] + かねない

このままでは事故が起きかねない。

Kono mama de wa jiko ga okikanenai.

At this rate, an accident might happen.

彼は何をするか分からない。暴力を振るいかねない。

Kare wa nani wo suru ka wakaranai. Bouryoku wo furuikanenai.

I do not know what he might do. He could even resort to violence.

Usually for negative/undesirable outcomes.

～かねる

cannot, find it hard to, be unable to

～ために (tame ni)

in order to ~, for the purpose of ~

～のに (noni)

although ~, despite ~, even though ~

～にもかかわらず

despite ~, in spite of ~

～ようになる

come to ~, become able to ~, reach the point where ~

Use to warn about potential negative consequences.

JLPTBooks Editorial Team

Japanese Language Education Specialists

Last updated: Jan 2

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