恐怕

kǒng pà

HSK 2.0 Level 4 HSK 3.0 Level 4 Verb Common

Definitions

1. fear
2. to dread
3. I'm afraid that...
4. perhaps
5. maybe

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Word relationships

Related words

3 items

大概

dà gài

roughly

When expressing likelihood or probability

可能

kě néng

might (happen)

When expressing possibility

想必

xiǎng bì

presumably

When making an inference or assumption

Synonyms

1 item

担心

dān xīn

anxious

When expressing worry or fear

Usage notes

Collocations

Often used with 是 or at the beginning of a sentence to politely express a negative possibility, e.g., 恐怕要下雨了。

Common mistakes

Don't use 恐怕 to express personal fear of a concrete object; use 怕 or 害怕 instead. 恐怕 is for conjectures or polite disagreement.

Grammar

Guides that feature 恐怕

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1 guide

HSK 2.0 Level 4+ HSK 3.0 Level 4+ 5 min

也许 and 恐怕 for “Perhaps” and “I’m Afraid”

Use 也许 for a neutral guess and 恐怕 for a guess about something you would rather not happen.

Reading: kǒng pà Open guide

Example Sentences

1 shown

恐怕要下雨了，我们快走吧。

I'm afraid it's going to rain, let's go quickly.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 恐怕

to be afraid

afraid

恐怕