Possibility and difficulty
～かねない
may well; could (happen); be liable to (a bad outcome)
AI-written, reviewed by AI (ChatGPT)
How to form it
- Verb (ます-stem) + かねない
Register: Neutral to formal; often in warnings and news
Explanation
Warns that a bad or undesirable outcome could well happen if things continue as they are.
Only for negative outcomes. It sounds more worried than かもしれない.
Examples
そんな運転をしていたら、事故を起こしかねない。
そんなうんてんをしていたら、じこをおこしかねない。
If you keep driving like that, you could cause an accident.
彼ならそのくらいのことは言いかねない。
かれならそのくらいのことはいいかねない。
He is the kind of person who might well say something like that.
無理をすると、病気になりかねない。
むりをすると、びょうきになりかねない。
If you overdo it, you could end up getting sick.
Compare with
- ～がち: がち describes a habitual tendency; かねない warns of a possible bad outcome.
Common mistakes
- Using it for a good outcome. It is only used for undesirable things.
- Confusing it with かねる (cannot do), which is a different expression.