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

Word relationships

Related words

3 items

• 大概 dà gài 大概 dà gài roughly When expressing likelihood or probability: roughly
• 可能 kě néng 可能 kě néng might (happen) When expressing possibility: might (happen)
• 想必 xiǎng bì 想必 xiǎng bì presumably When making an inference or assumption: presumably

Synonyms

1 item

• 担心 dān xīn 担心 dān xīn anxious When expressing worry or fear: anxious

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.

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

• 怕 怕 pà: to be afraid
• 恐 恐 kǒng: afraid