Fluentide
Fluentide for iOS is out — get the app
HSK 4

恐怕

I'm afraid; probably; perhaps

adverbneutral1 episode
恐
kǒng3rd tone
怕
pà4th tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
kǒngpà
Part of speech
adverb
Level
HSK 4
Strokes
18
Register
neutral
In episodes
1

Stroke order for 恐怕

恐怕 is written with 18 strokes (恐: 10, 怕: 8). The animation replays automatically.

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 by character

恐kǒngto fear; afraid
+
怕pàto fear; to be afraid
=
恐怕

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.

Hear 恐怕 in real episodes

恐怕 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

London Children Called It the Bubble Bus. The Operator Stopped Him Over "Safety Concerns" It Still Will Not Explain.恐怕 spoken at natural speedmedium
Browse the full episode library

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

恐怕不行kǒngpà bù xíngI'm afraid that won't work
恐怕来不及kǒngpà láibujíI'm afraid there's no time
恐怕会kǒngpà huìI'm afraid it will (happen)
恐怕不是kǒngpà bú shìI'm afraid it's not (so)

Synonyms

也许yěxǔ

也许 is neutral 'maybe / perhaps' with no emotional lean. Use 也许 for a plain guess; use 恐怕 when the likely outcome is unwelcome or you're softening bad news.

可能kěnéng

可能 means 'possible / possibly' and can point to good or bad outcomes. 恐怕 specifically hints at a regrettable or worrying one.

大概dàgài

大概 means 'approximately / probably' and is more about rough estimation. 恐怕 adds a note of concern that 大概 lacks.

Don't confuse 恐怕 with

害怕hàipà

害怕 is a real verb meaning 'to be afraid / scared' of something (我害怕黑 — I'm scared of the dark). 恐怕 is an adverb that hedges a prediction and rarely expresses actual fear.

怕pà

怕 alone is the verb 'to fear.' 恐怕 as a whole is an adverb; don't treat it as 恐 + the verb 怕.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

表情expression乘客passenger分心distracted官方official具体specific理由reason路线route明确clear, definite宁可would rather视线line of sight账号account

Acquire it by listening

Meet 恐怕 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

You just saw 恐怕 in 1 episode. Fluentide keeps feeding you news episodes at your level, so this word — and thousands like it — resurface in real sentences until they stick. Full pinyin and translation every time. Free to start.