How to say “maybe” in Chinese
maybe, possibly
“Maybe” in Chinese is 可能, kě néng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
可能 is read kě néng: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “可能”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 可能. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 明天可能下雨，你还去爬山吗？míngtiānkěnéngxiàyǔ,nǐháiqùpáshānmaIt might rain tomorrow. Are you still going hiking?
- 这种可能性很小zhèzhǒngkěnéngxìnghěnxiǎoThe chance of that is very small.
- 路上很堵，我可能要迟到了。lùshanghěndǔ,wǒkěnéngyàochídàoleThe traffic is bad, I'll probably be late.
- 这件事的可能性很小。zhèjiànshìdekěnéngxìnghěnxiǎoThe chances of this are very slim.
- 人生不可能永远一帆风顺rénshēngbùkěnéngyǒngyuǎnyìfānfēngshùnIn life, things can't always go smoothly.
- 我们不排除这种可能。wǒmenbùpáichúzhèzhǒngkěnéngWe don't rule out that possibility.
More words from the lesson “Why?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “maybe” in Chinese?
“Maybe” in Chinese is 可能, pinyin kěnéng.
What does 可能 mean?
可能 (kěnéng) means “maybe, possibly”.
How do you write 可能?
可能 is 2 characters: 可 (kě) — may, can; 能 (néng) — can, be able. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 可能?
可能 is read kěnéng. Tones: kě — third tone, néng — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“maybe” in the lesson “Why?”
This word is from the topic “Studies and tasks” of HSK 2. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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