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可能. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
可能, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
可能 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
可能 you have here. The definition of the word
可能 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
可能, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Chinese
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can; may; able to can; may; able to; certain(ly); to suit; (particle used for emphasis)
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ability; can; may ability; can; may; capable; energy; able
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trad. (可能)
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可
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能
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simp. #(可能)
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可
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能
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Etymology
Attested in Old Chinese; original meanings were “to be able to, competent”, “can be achieved, possible”.
Pronunciation
Note: ko2 lêng5 - Chaozhou.
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
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Character
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可
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能
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Reading #
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1/1
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3/3
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Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
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kě
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néng
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Middle Chinese
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‹ khaX ›
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‹ nong ›
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Old Chinese
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/*ʰˁaʔ/
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/*nˁə(ʔ)/ (~ *nˁəŋ)
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English
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may; acceptable
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able; ability
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Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
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Zhengzhang system (2003)
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Character
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可
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能
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Reading #
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1/1
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3/4
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No.
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7446
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9415
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Phonetic component
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可
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能
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Rime group
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歌
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蒸
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Rime subdivision
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1
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0
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Corresponding MC rime
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可
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能
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Old Chinese
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/*kʰaːlʔ/
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/*nɯːŋ/
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Adjective
可能
- possible; probable; likely
Usage notes
Chinese does not have different words for possible and probable in the way that English does. To express the sense that something is probable—i.e., likely to happen as opposed to just being a possibility among others—consider adding 很 (hěn) before 可能 or 有可能 (yǒukěnéng).
Synonyms
Adverb
可能
- maybe; perhaps; probably; might; may
- 可能我會去。/可能我会去。 ― Kěnéng wǒ huì qù. ― Perhaps I will go.
他可能被開除了。 [MSC, trad.]
他可能被开除了。 [MSC, simp.]- Tā kěnéng bèi kāichú le.
- He may have been fired.
Synonyms
- 也許/也许 (yěxǔ)
- 保不住 (bǎobuzhù) (colloquial)
- 保不定 (bǎobudìng) (colloquial)
- 保不齊/保不齐 (bǎobuqí) (colloquial)
- 備不住/备不住 (bèibuzhù) (regional)
- 凡勢/凡势 (hoān-sè) (Taiwanese Hokkien)
- 博定 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
- 容許/容许 (róngxǔ) (literary)
- 怕係/怕系 (Hakka)
- 怕是 (pàshì)
- 或者 (huòzhě)
- 或許/或许 (huòxǔ)
- 指不定 (zhǐbùdìng)
- 搞不好 (gǎobùhǎo)
- 歉采 (Hokkien)
- 殼張/壳张 (7khoq-tsan) (Wu, dated)
- 沒準兒/没准儿 (méizhǔnr) (colloquial)
- 興許/兴许 (xīngxǔ) (colloquial)
- 話勿出/话勿出 (6gho-veq-tsheq) (Wu)
- 話唔埋/话唔埋 (waa6 m4 maai4) (Cantonese)
- 話唔定/话唔定 (waa6 m4 ding6) (Cantonese)
- 說不定/说不定 (shuōbùdìng)
- 講勿定/讲勿定 (5kaon-veq-din) (Wu)
- 講唔定/讲唔定 (gong2 m4 ding6) (Cantonese)
- 難免/难免 (nánmiǎn)
Noun
可能
- possibility; probability; likelihood (Classifier: 個/个)
- 無限可能/无限可能 ― wúxiàn kěnéng ― infinite possibilities
什麼事都有發生的可能。 [MSC, trad.]
什么事都有发生的可能。 [MSC, simp.]- Shénme shì dōu yǒu fāshēng de kěnéng.
- Anything has a possibility of happening.
Synonyms
- 可能性 (kěnéngxìng)
- 幾率/几率 (jīlǜ) (chiefly mainland China)
- 或然率 (huòránlǜ)
- 概率 (gàilǜ)
- 機會率/机会率 (jīhuìlǜ)
- 機率/机率 (jīlǜ) (chiefly Taiwan, Hong Kong)
Verb
可能
- (literary) to be competent to; to have the ability to
- (literary) can be achieved; to be possible
Derived terms
Descendants
Japanese
Etymology
From Middle Chinese compound 可能 (khaX nong, literally “may, can + able, ability”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
可能 • (kanō) -na (adnominal 可能な (kanō na), adverbial 可能に (kanō ni))
- possible
- feasible
Inflection
Stem forms
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Imperfective (未然形)
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可能だろ
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かのうだろ
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kanō daro
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Continuative (連用形)
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可能で
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かのうで
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kanō de
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Terminal (終止形)
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可能だ
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かのうだ
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kanō da
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Attributive (連体形)
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可能な
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かのうな
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kanō na
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Hypothetical (仮定形)
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可能なら
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かのうなら
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kanō nara
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Imperative (命令形)
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可能であれ
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かのうであれ
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kanō de are
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Key constructions
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Informal negative
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可能ではない 可能じゃない
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かのうではない かのうじゃない
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kanō de wa nai kanō ja nai
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Informal past
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可能だった
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かのうだった
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kanō datta
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Informal negative past
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可能ではなかった 可能じゃなかった
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かのうではなかった かのうじゃなかった
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kanō de wa nakatta kanō ja nakatta
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Formal
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可能です
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かのうです
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kanō desu
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Formal negative
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可能ではありません 可能じゃありません
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かのうではありません かのうじゃありません
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kanō de wa arimasen kanō ja arimasen
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Formal past
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可能でした
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かのうでした
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kanō deshita
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Formal negative past
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可能ではありませんでした 可能じゃありませんでした
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かのうではありませんでした かのうじゃありませんでした
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kanō de wa arimasen deshita kanō ja arimasen deshita
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Conjunctive
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可能で
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かのうで
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kanō de
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Conditional
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可能なら(ば)
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かのうなら(ば)
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kanō nara (ba)
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Provisional
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可能だったら
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かのうだったら
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kanō dattara
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Volitional
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可能だろう
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かのうだろう
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kanō darō
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Adverbial
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可能に
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かのうに
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kanō ni
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Degree
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可能さ
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かのうさ
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kanōsa
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Synonyms
Antonyms
(antonym(s) of "possible"):
Derived terms
Noun
可能 • (kanō)
- possibility, good chance
- 可能の
- kanō no
- possible
- feasibility
Antonyms
References
- Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
Korean
Noun
可能 • (ganeung) (hangeul 가능)
- Hanja form? of 가능 (“possibility”).
Vietnamese
Noun
可能
- chữ Hán form of khả năng (“ability; capability; competence”).