I'm afraid; probably; perhaps
HSK level
恐怕 is written with 18 strokes (恐: 10, 怕: 8). The animation replays automatically.
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 by character
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.
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
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 恐怕 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.
