可能 (kěnéng) — May in Mandarin
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#100 most common word · HSK 2 · CEFR A2
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
可能 is pronounced kěnéng. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Míngtiān kěnéng huì xiàyǔ.
It may rain tomorrow.
Hear it, then say it right
Reading pinyin only gets you halfway. ToneDeck plays native audio for 可能 and thousands more words, then scores your pronunciation so your tones land. HSK 1 is free, no install.
Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 可能 mean?+
可能 (kěnéng) means "May" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 可能?+
可能 is pronounced kěnéng. It uses the tone 3 (rising/dipping), then the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 可能 in Mandarin?+
可能 is the #100 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Where 可能 fits
Every HSK 2 word with tone-coloured pinyin and audio.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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