Translation guide
Expresses that something is likely to happen, often with a negative connotation, or that someone has a tendency to do something. Japanese uses various constructions depending on whether it's a general tendency, a risk, or a habitual action.
The speaker believes there is a high chance of an undesirable event occurring.
Attaches to the masu-stem of a verb. Indicates a real possibility of something bad happening. Often used in warnings.
そんなことを言うと、彼を傷つけかねない。
Saying something like that could hurt him.
At this rate, an accident could happen.
Used in formal or written contexts. Follows a verb in dictionary form or a noun + の. Expresses a risk or danger.
大雨で川が氾濫する恐れがあります。
There is a risk that the river will flood due to heavy rain.
Used in the pattern ～すると危ない to mean 'it's dangerous that...' or 'there's a risk of...'. More colloquial than 恐れがある.
そんなに急いで運転すると危ないよ。
It's dangerous to drive so fast.
Literally 'it's not necessarily the case that it won't...'. Implies a possibility, often negative. Formal.
彼が失敗しないとも限らない。
He might fail (we can't be sure he won't).
Describes a person's or thing's characteristic behavior, often something annoying or problematic.
Attaches to masu-stem of verb or noun. Indicates a tendency, often negative. 'Prone to...', 'tends to...'.
彼は遅刻しがちだ。
He is liable to be late.
この天気だと気分が沈みがちになる。
In this weather, I tend to feel down.
Attaches to masu-stem. Means 'easy to do' or 'prone to doing'. Can be used for inanimate subjects.
このガラスは割れやすい。
This glass is liable to break.
Attaches to nouns or masu-stem. Means '-ish', 'tends to', often with a negative nuance. Colloquial.
彼は忘れっぽいから、メモしたほうがいいよ。
He's liable to forget things, so you'd better write it down.
Expresses a high probability without strong negative connotation.
Formal and neutral. Follows dictionary form of verb or noun + の. 'There is a high possibility that...'.
彼が次の社長になる可能性が高い。
He is liable to become the next president.
Plain conjecture. In spoken Japanese, often used with きっと or 多分. Less formal than 可能性が高い.
彼ならきっと成功するだろう。
He is liable to succeed.
Both express risk, but ～かねない is more subjective and often used in warnings about someone's actions. ～恐れがある is objective and formal, common in news reports.
彼は秘密を漏らしかねない。
He might leak the secret.
台風が上陸する恐れがあります。
There is a risk that the typhoon will make landfall.
Do not directly translate 'liable to' as a single word. Japanese uses grammatical patterns that attach to verbs. Using adjectives like 責任がある (responsible) would be incorrect for this meaning.