JLPT N3
〜かねない
If you keep eating nothing but cup ramen every day, you might end up getting sick someday.
📖 Explanation & Nuance
ENGLISH EXPLANATION
The grammar pattern "～かねない" (kane nai) expresses a negative possibility or risk, meaning "might end up" or "could possibly." It suggests that an undesirable outcome is likely to happen if a certain action or situation continues. It often conveys a warning or concern about potential harmful consequences.
JAPANESE EXPLANATION
悪い結果になる可能性がある、～するかもしれない、と危惧を表す時に使います。その行動を続けると、良くない結果を招くかもしれないという警告です。
📝 Example Sentence
毎日カップラーメンばかり食べていたら、いつか病気になり「かねない」。
If you keep eating nothing but cup ramen every day, you might end up getting sick someday.
Practice Quiz
Verify your grammar strength for "〜かねない"
毎日カップラーメンばかり食べていたら、いつか病気になり（ ）。
🎉 正解 / Correct!
解説 (JP): 悪い結果になる可能性がある、～するかもしれない、と危惧を表す時に使います。その行動を続けると、良くない結果を招くかもしれないという警告です。\n\nCommon Mistakes:\n❌ 恐れがある: '恐れがある' is a formal term used in news and public warnings. When you are warning a friend casually about their bad habits, '〜かねない' is the perfect fit!\n❌ っこない: 'っこない' means 'There is absolutely no way'. So '病気になりっこない' would mean 'You will never get sick!' - which is the opposite of a warning!\n❌ はずだ: Using 'はずだ' sounds like you are objectively predicting 'You are definitely going to get sick based on my deduction'. 'かねない' carries more of a worried 'might happen' nuance.
Explanation (EN): The grammar pattern \"～かねない\" (kane nai) expresses a negative possibility or risk, meaning \"might end up\" or \"could possibly.\" It suggests that an undesirable outcome is likely to happen if a certain action or situation continues. It often conveys a warning or concern about potential harmful consequences.\n\nCommon Mistakes:\n❌ 恐れがある: '恐れがある' is a formal term used in news and public warnings. When you are warning a friend casually about their bad habits, '〜かねない' is the perfect fit!\n❌ っこない: 'っこない' means 'There is absolutely no way'. So '病気になりっこない' would mean 'You will never get sick!' - which is the opposite of a warning!\n❌ はずだ: Using 'はずだ' sounds like you are objectively predicting 'You are definitely going to get sick based on my deduction'. 'かねない' carries more of a worried 'might happen' nuance.
Explanation (EN): The grammar pattern \"～かねない\" (kane nai) expresses a negative possibility or risk, meaning \"might end up\" or \"could possibly.\" It suggests that an undesirable outcome is likely to happen if a certain action or situation continues. It often conveys a warning or concern about potential harmful consequences.\n\nCommon Mistakes:\n❌ 恐れがある: '恐れがある' is a formal term used in news and public warnings. When you are warning a friend casually about their bad habits, '〜かねない' is the perfect fit!\n❌ っこない: 'っこない' means 'There is absolutely no way'. So '病気になりっこない' would mean 'You will never get sick!' - which is the opposite of a warning!\n❌ はずだ: Using 'はずだ' sounds like you are objectively predicting 'You are definitely going to get sick based on my deduction'. 'かねない' carries more of a worried 'might happen' nuance.
🦅
Want to master all JLPT N3 Grammar?
Project Eagle offers thousands of gamified, AI-powered JLPT practice problems completely for free. Master Grammar, Kanji, and listening with adaptive spacing!