可能 (kanou) conjugation
possible, practicable, feasible
可能 (かのう, kanou) is a na-adjective. Na-adjectives behave like nouns. The word itself never changes — you conjugate だ/です after it, and you need な to put it in front of a noun.
Conjugation table
| Form | Plain (casual) | Polite (~です) | When you use it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dictionary / plain | 可能だ kanouda | 可能です kanoudesu | The form you look up. Also the casual “is ~”. |
| Negative | 可能じゃない kanoujanai | 可能じゃないです kanoujanaidesu | “is not ~”. |
| Past | 可能だった kanoudatta | 可能でした kanoudeshita | “was ~”. |
| Past negative | 可能じゃなかった kanoujanakatta | 可能じゃなかったです kanoujanakattadesu | “was not ~”. |
| Te-form | 可能で kanoude | — | Links to the next clause: “~ and …”. |
| Adverb | 可能に kanouni | — | Turns it into “~ly”, describing a verb. |
| Before a noun | 可能な〜 kanouna〜 | — | How it attaches when it modifies a noun. |
| Conditional (~ば/なら) | 可能なら kanounara | — | “if it is ~”. |
| Conditional (~たら) | 可能だったら kanoudattara | — | “if / when it is ~”. The everyday conditional. |
| Become (~なる) | 可能になる kanouninaru | 可能になります kanouninarimasu | “becomes ~” — the change-of-state form. |
| Too much (~すぎる) | 可能すぎる kanousugiru | 可能すぎます kanousugimasu | “too ~”. |
| Looks ~ (~そう) | 可能そう kanousou | 可能そうです kanousoudesu | “looks / seems ~” from appearance. |
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Why it conjugates this way
Na-adjectives behave like nouns. The word itself never changes — you conjugate だ/です after it, and you need な to put it in front of a noun.
See the full rules in the adjective conjugation guide.