恐怕
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 3 (2021)Old HSK 4
恐怕 (kǒngpà) · I'm afraid (that)
恐怕 (kǒngpà) means “I'm afraid (that); probably; perhaps”. It is written with 2 characters: 恐 (fearful) + 怕 (to be afraid of). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 恐怕 is built
The characters
恐 kǒng · fearful
What 恐 is made of
- 巩gǒng — to bind
- 工gōng — labor
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丄shàng — above
- 凡fán — any
- 几jǐ — small table
- 丶 — dot
- 工gōng — labor
- 心xīn — heart
Origin hint: 心 gives the meaning, 巩 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
怕 pà · to be afraid of
What 怕 is made of
- 忄xīn — heart
- 八bā — eight
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 白bái — white
- 日rì — sun; day
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 日rì — sun; day
Origin hint: 忄 gives the meaning, 白 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
恐怕他今天不能来了。Kǒngpà tā jīntiān bù néng lái le.I'm afraid he can't come today.
时间不多了，恐怕来不及。Shíjiān bù duō le, kǒngpà láibují.There isn't much time; I'm afraid we won't make it.
Questions about 恐怕
What does 恐怕 mean?
恐怕 (kǒngpà) means “I'm afraid (that); probably; perhaps”.
How do you pronounce 恐怕?
恐怕 is pronounced kǒngpà.
Which HSK level is 恐怕?
恐怕 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
- 恐怖kǒngbùfrightening
- 恐吓kǒnghèto threaten
- 恐惧kǒngjùfear
- 争先恐后zhēngxiānkǒnghòuto scramble to be first
- 可怕kěpàscary
- 害怕hàipàto be afraid
- 哪怕nǎpàeven if
- 怕pàto be afraid of
Learn 恐怕 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 30: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.