恐怕
I'm afraid; probably; perhaps
kǒngpà
What does 恐怕 mean?
恐怕 (kǒngpà) is an adverb that means 'I'm afraid that…' or 'probably / most likely' — it flags that the speaker expects an unwelcome or uncertain outcome. Though it literally combines 'fear' and 'afraid,' in modern use it rarely expresses real fear; instead it hedges a prediction, much like English 'I'm afraid we're out of time' rather than 'I am frightened.' It usually sits at the front of a clause: 恐怕不行 (I'm afraid that won't work), 恐怕来不及了 (we probably won't make it in time).
Two things trip up English speakers: 恐怕 leans toward negative or regrettable outcomes, so it feels off for good news; and it is an adverb, not a verb — you cannot conjugate it or make it the main action. For a plain, neutral 'maybe,' use 也许 or 可能 instead.
Note: Works in both speech and writing. It softens a claim, so it also reads as polite and non-committal — useful when you want to avoid stating something too bluntly.
Character breakdown
to fear; afraid
to fear; to be afraid
Memory hook: Two 'fear' characters stacked together — but in practice it just means 'I'm afraid (that)…' the way an English speaker softens bad news.
Example sentences
恐怕今天不行，我们改天吧。
Kǒngpà jīntiān bù xíng, wǒmen gǎitiān ba.
I'm afraid today won't work; let's do another day.
spoken
现在去恐怕来不及了。
Xiànzài qù kǒngpà láibují le.
If we go now, I'm afraid we won't make it in time.
neutral
这件事恐怕没有那么简单。
Zhè jiàn shì kǒngpà méiyǒu nàme jiǎndān.
I'm afraid this matter isn't that simple.
neutral
他恐怕已经知道了。
Tā kǒngpà yǐjīng zhīdào le.
He probably already knows.
spoken
Common phrases with 恐怕
Synonyms
Don't confuse 恐怕 with
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