可能

Attested in Old Chinese; original meanings were “to be able to, competent”, “can be achieved, possible”.

可能

1. possible; probable; likely

Chinese does not have different words for possible and probable in the way that English does. To express the sense that something is probable—i.e., likely to happen as opposed to just being a possibility among others—consider adding 很 (hěn) before 可能 or 有可能 (yǒukěnéng).

• 容易 (róngyì)

可能

1. maybe; perhaps; probably; might; may

   可能我會去。／可能我会去。  ―  Kěnéng wǒ huì qù.  ―  Perhaps I will go.

   他可能被開除了。 [MSC, trad.]
   他可能被开除了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā kěnéng bèi kāichú le. [Pinyin]

   He may have been fired.

可能

1. possibility; probability; likelihood (Classifier: 個／个)

   無限可能／无限可能  ―  wúxiàn kěnéng  ―  infinite possibilities

   什麼事都有發生的可能。 [MSC, trad.]
   什么事都有发生的可能。 [MSC, simp.]

   Shénme shì dōu yǒu fāshēng de kěnéng. [Pinyin]

   Anything has a possibility of happening.

可能

1. (literary) to be competent to; to have the ability to

   • 孟莊子之孝也，其他可能也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     孟庄子之孝也，其他可能也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Mèng Zhuāng zǐ zhī xiào yě, qítā kěnéng yě. [Pinyin]

     The filial piety of Meng Zhuang, in other matters, was what other men are competent to.

2. (literary) can be achieved; to be possible

   • 養，可能也，敬為難。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     养，可能也，敬为难。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Yǎng, kěnéng yě, jìng wéi nán. [Pinyin]

     One may be able to support them; the difficulty is in doing so with the proper reverence.

From Middle Chinese compound 可能 (kha^X nong, literally “may, can + able, ability”).

• (Tokyo) かのー [kànóó] (Heiban – [0])[1]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠no̞ː]

可(か)能(のう) • (kanō) -na (adnominal 可(か)能(のう)な (kanō na), adverbial 可(か)能(のう)に (kanō ni))

1. possible
2. feasible

• できる (dekiru)
• (possible): ありうる (ariuru), 起(お)こりうる (okoriuru)

(antonym(s) of “possible”):

• ありえない (arienai), 不(ふ)可(か)能(のう) (fukanō): impossible
• 必(ひつ)然(ぜん)的(てき) (hitsuzenteki): inevitable

• 可(か)能(のう)性(せい) (kanōsei): (possibility, feasibility)

可(か)能(のう) • (kanō) 

1. possibility, good chance

   可能(かのう)の

   kanō no

   possible

2. feasibility

• (antonym(s) of “possibility”): 不(ふ)可(か)能(のう) (fukanō): impossible; 必(ひつ)然(ぜん)的(てき) (hitsuzenteki): inevitable
• (antonym(s) of “feasibility”): 不(ふ)可(か)能(のう) (fukanō): (infeasibility)

• Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
• 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.

可能 • (ganeung) (hangeul 가능)

1. Hanja form^? of 가능 (“possibility”).

可能

1. chữ Hán form of khả năng (“ability; capability; competence”).