HSK 2 · Modal Verbs

可能 kěnéng “maybe” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 可能 means

  1. maybe, possible
  2. might (happen)
  3. probable
  4. possibility
  5. probability

Measure word 个 gè · 一个可能 yí ge kěnéng

How to say 可能

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale可kě3rd tone, dipping
  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale能néng2nd tone, rising

可能 in a sentence

  1. 晚上可能会下雨。

    Wǎnshang kěnéng huì xiàyǔ.

    It might rain tonight.

    Sentence #377448 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  2. 我可能要迟到几分钟。

    Wǒ kěnéng yào chídào jǐ fēnzhōng.

    I might be a few minutes late.

    Sentence #1550564 from Tatoeba

  3. 有可能吗？

    Yǒu kěnéng ma?

    Is that possible?

    Sentence #9432340 from Tatoeba

How 可能 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 可 (kě) with each of its parts in a different colour
可kěcan; may; able to; -able
  • 丁part of the characterMeaning part
  • 口mouth · kǒuSound part

Memory aidPicture a mouth 口 saying yes: can, may.

The character 能 (néng) with each of its parts in a different colour
能néngcan
  • 厶private · sī
  • ⺼meat form of 肉 · ròu
  • 匕spoon · bǐ
  • 匕spoon · bǐ

Memory aidDrawn from a bear. It was borrowed for “can, be able to”.

How to write 可能

可 5 strokes · 能 10 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

可能 (kěnéng) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 可能 (kěnéng). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 可能

Words with 可

可以kěyǐ · can可kě · but可爱kě'ài · cute可怜kělián · pitiful可惜kěxī · it is a pity可是kěshì · but可靠kěkào · reliable可怕kěpà · awful可见kějiàn · it can clearly be seen (that this is the case)宁可nìngkě · preferably

Words with 能

能néng · can只能zhǐnéng · can only能力nénglì · capability能够nénggòu · to be able to能干nénggàn · capable能源néngyuán · energy功能gōngnéng · function职能zhínéng · function能量néngliàng · energy性能xìngnéng · performance

More words: Modal Verbs & Connectors

别bié · don’t可以kěyǐ · can要yào · want为什么wèishénme · why也yě · also因为yīnwèi · because虽然suīrán · although再zài · again

FAQs

可能 (kěnéng) means “maybe, possible” or “might (happen)”. It is an HSK 2 word, so it is one of the words learners meet early.
Say it kěnéng: kě with a 3rd tone, then néng with a 2nd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 可能 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Use 个 (gè). For example, one maybe is 一个可能 (yí ge kěnéng).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type keneng with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 可能 from the suggestions. Typing keneng into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
可能 is an HSK 2 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.