Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
Cannot or find it difficult to do (often due to impossibility, psychological resistance, or politeness).
🎯 Primary Function
To politely decline a request or state an inability to perform an action, implying a reason such as difficulty, impossibility, or consideration for others, without being overly direct.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb ます-stem + かねる
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Very common, especially in business, customer service, and official contexts when politely refusing or stating inability.
Informal Situations
Not typically used; sounds unnatural and overly formal in casual settings.
Written Language
Common in formal emails, letters, and official documents.
Spoken Language
Used in formal conversations, business meetings, and customer interactions.
💡 Common Applications
Polite Refusal of Requests
Used to politely decline a request that the speaker is unable or unwilling to fulfill.
Example: その件については、お答えしかねます。
Sono ken ni tsuite wa, o-kotae shi kanemasu.
Regarding that matter, I cannot answer (I find it difficult/impossible to answer).
Stating Inability/Difficulty
Used to express that a certain action is difficult or impossible for the speaker to perform, often due to rules, circumstances, or personal limitations.
Example: お客様のご要望には沿いかねる状況です。
Okyaku-sama no go-yōbō ni wa soi kaneru jōkyō desu.
It is a situation where we cannot meet the customer’s request.
Expressing Indecision or Doubt
Can be used to express difficulty in making a decision or having doubts about something.
Example: それは私には判断しかねます。
Sore wa watashi ni wa handan shi kanemasu.
That is something I cannot decide on (It is difficult for me to judge).
Frequency
Moderate in formal settings; rare in informal settings.
Difficulty
Advanced (JLPT N1) – Requires understanding of subtle nuances and appropriate contexts.
Example Sentences
申し訳ございませんが、本日の変更は承りかねます。
I am very sorry, but we cannot accept changes for today.
個人的な情報については、お答えしかねますのでご了承ください。
Please understand that I cannot answer regarding personal information.
この場で即座に決定することは、できかねます。
Making a decision on the spot here is something I cannot do.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Attaches to ます-stem
Always connect かねる to the ます-stem of a verb. It cannot be used with the dictionary form, て-form, etc.
Example: 〇 承りかねます (uketamawari kanemasu)
✕ 承るかねます (uketamawaru kanemasu)
Expresses Inability/Difficulty, not Simple Impossibility
While translated as “cannot,” it often implies “find it difficult to” or “it is not feasible/appropriate for me to.” It’s not usually used for physical impossibility.
Example: 〇 申し訳ございませんが、その時間にお伺いしかねます。(I apologize, but it’s difficult for me to visit at that time [perhaps due to schedule conflict]).
✕ 私は空を飛びかねます。(This sounds unnatural. Use 私は空を飛べません for simple inability to fly.)
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ Using it in casual conversation or with friends.
✅ Use simpler expressions like 「～できない」 or 「ちょっと無理」.
かねる is highly formal and polite. Using it casually sounds stiff and unnatural.
❌ Using it with negative or potential forms.
✅ かねる itself implies inability/difficulty. Do not combine it with negative verbs or potential forms.
〇 理解しかねます (Understand with difficulty / Cannot understand).
✕ 理解できかねます (Redundant and incorrect).
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: Very High – It is a keigo (honorific language) expression.
Social Situations: Primarily used in formal business settings, customer service, and official communications.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan in formal contexts.
🔍 Subtle Differences
～かねる vs. ～にくい
～かねる expresses difficulty or inability often due to external factors, rules, or psychological resistance, used for polite refusal. ～にくい expresses difficulty due to inherent characteristics of the object or the action itself (e.g., hard to understand, difficult to eat).
When to use: Use かねる for polite refusal or inability in formal/psychological contexts. Use にくい when describing something that is physically or inherently difficult to perform or interact with.
～かねる vs. ～がたい
Both express difficulty or inability, but がたい often emphasizes a strong emotional or psychological resistance or near impossibility, typically with verbs related to emotions, understanding, or belief. かねる can be used more broadly with various actions, including requests/answers.
When to use: Use かねる for polite refusal or general difficulty in action. Use がたい for strong psychological difficulty, disbelief, or emotional resistance.
～かねる vs. ～できない (Potential Form + Negative)
～できない is a direct statement of inability. ～かねる is a polite, indirect way to express inability or difficulty, often implying it’s not possible or appropriate due to circumstances or politeness.
When to use: Use できない for a straightforward statement of inability. Use かねる for polite refusal or inability in formal situations where directness is avoided.
📝 Conjugation Notes
Always attaches to the ます-stem (連用形 – ren’yōkei) of Godan (五段) and Ichidan (一段) verbs. It functions like a regular Godan verb itself (かねる -> かねます, かねない, かねますん/かねません etc.).
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
Pronounced “ka-ne-ru”. The か is usually soft. Pay attention to the verb stem it attaches to.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of かねる as “can’t [do something], because it’s difficult or inappropriate.” Associate it with formal business situations and polite refusal.
Practice Exercises
お客様からの急な納期変更の要望に、丁寧に対応できない状況です。何と言えば適切ですか？
Okyaku-sama kara no kyū na nōki henkō no yōbō ni, teinei ni taiō dekinai jōkyō desu. Nan to ieba tekisetsu desu ka?
納期変更に対応できません。
納期変更には対応しかねます。
納期変更はできません。
納期変更に対応しにくいです。
友達から個人的な質問をされましたが、答えたくありません。ビジネスシーンではない場合、最も自然な表現はどれですか？
Tomodachi kara kojinteki na shitsumon o saremashita ga, kotaetakuarimasen. Bijinesu shīn dewa nai baai, mottomo shizen na hyōgen wa dore desu ka?
それについては、お答えしかねます。
それに答えるのは難しいです。
それは言えません。
それに答えかねます。
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