N2 — outside your level filter
かねない
かねないkanenaiN2neutral
Same meaning15
probably; might; should be
- だろうprobably; I suppose (plain style)attaches at
- でしょうprobably; I suppose; right?attaches at
- はずだshould; ought to; is supposed toattaches at
- かもしれないmight; may possiblyattaches at
- かなI wonder; maybe (wondering aloud)attaches at
- まいsurely won't; I shall never — the classical negative of だろう and of (よ)うattaches at
- ないとも限らないyou can't rule out that it will happen; it may happen anywayattaches at
- に違いないmust be; surely is (a confident conclusion)attaches at
- に決まっているof course it is; is bound to be — treated as beyond argumentattaches at
- に相違ないbeyond doubt; there is no doubt that (written, formal)attaches at
- 恐れがあるthere is a danger that; is at risk of (something unwelcome)attaches at
- そうもないshows no sign of; doesn't look like it willattaches at
- と考えられるit can reasonably be concluded that; is to be regarded asattaches at
- と思うI think that; in my opinionattaches at
- ような気がするI have a feeling that; it seems to me thatattaches at
All examples3
could well (and it wouldn't be good) — warns something bad might happen
そんなスピードで走ると、事故を起こしかねないよ。
sonna supiido de hashiru to, jiko o okoshi kanenai yo.
If you drive at that speed, you could well cause an accident. casual
今回の対応の遅れは、会社の信用を損ないかねません。
konkai no taiou no okure wa, kaisha no shin'you o sokonaikanemasen.
This delay in our response could well damage the company's credibility. formal
過労は健康を害しかねない。
karou wa kenkou o gaishikanenai.
Overwork could well harm one's health. neutral
How it's formed1
All forms2
- pastかねなかったkanenakatta
味わいかねなかった
- politeかねませんkanemasen
味わいかねません
Notes
かねない comes from かねる, but doesn't mean "no reason I can't" anymore.
It now just warns something bad could happen.
It now just warns something bad could happen.