可能
possible; maybe; possibility
HSK level
- Pinyin
- kěnéng
- Part of speech
- adverb
- Level
- HSK 2
- Strokes
- 15
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 7
Stroke order for 可能
可能 is written with 15 strokes (可: 5, 能: 10). The animation replays automatically.
What does 可能 mean?
可能 (kěnéng) does triple duty: as an adverb 'possibly / maybe' modifying a verb (他可能不来 'he might not come'), as an adjective 'possible' (这是可能的 'this is possible'), and as a noun 'possibility' (有可能 'there's a possibility').
It is the most common way Chinese speakers hedge a statement — much like English 'maybe' or 'might.' Position matters: as an adverb it goes before the verb, after the subject — 我可能去 ('I might go'), not 可能我去. To negate, you can say 不可能 ('impossible'), which is much stronger than 可能不 + verb ('might not').
Compare with 也许 (yěxǔ, 'perhaps'), which expresses a softer, more speculative maybe — often interchangeable with 可能, though 可能 is slightly more concrete (a 50/50 chance) while 也许 leans more wishful. The fixed phrase 不可能 ('no way / impossible') is everyday slang. 可能性 (kěnéngxìng) is the noun form 'possibility / likelihood.'
Character by character
Memory hook: 可 (can) + 能 (able to) — both characters mean 'can.' Together they back into 'possibly,' i.e. 'within the realm of being able to happen.'
Hear 可能 in real episodes
可能 appears in 7 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed, 4 of them below. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
原因可能在数字里。
The reason may be in the numbers.
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有些好处在五千到七千步就差不多了，但走更多步可能还有其他好处。
Some benefits are about the same at 5,000 to 7,000 steps, but walking more steps may have other benefits.
Must You Walk 10,000 Steps? Research Finds Benefits Around 7,000
所以，有的医生说：可能没有很多人有鼠疫。
So some doctors say: probably not many people have plague.
A Russian Lab Worker Died After a Test Tube Broke at a Plague Institute. Russia Says It Wasn't Plague, but Quarantined 200 People.
所以，研究的人说：刮舌头，再加上多吃绿色的菜，可能对血压有好处。
So the researchers say: scraping your tongue, plus eating more green vegetables, may be good for your blood pressure.
Tongue Scrapers Beat Toothbrushes at Fighting Bad Breath — and Your Tongue's Bacteria May Help Lower Your Blood Pressure
Example sentences
他今天可能不来。
Tā jīntiān kěnéng bù lái.
He might not come today.
spoken
明天可能下雨。
Míngtiān kěnéng xià yǔ.
It might rain tomorrow.
neutral
这是不可能的。
Zhè shì bù kěnéng de.
This is impossible.
neutral
我很可能要换工作。
Wǒ hěn kěnéng yào huàn gōngzuò.
I'm very likely going to change jobs.
spoken
Common phrases with 可能
Synonyms
也许 is 'perhaps / maybe' — softer and more speculative than 可能. 可能 implies a real chance you can estimate; 也许 is more wishful or vague. 也许他会来 ('perhaps he'll come') vs 他可能来 ('he might come').
或许 is the slightly more formal/written sibling of 也许. Same general meaning. Use 可能 in speech, 或许 in essays.
Don't confuse 可能 with
能 alone means 'can / be able to' (capability or permission). 我能去 = 'I can go' (factual). 我可能去 = 'I might go' (probability). Don't mix capability with possibility.
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 可能 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
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