N2 Possibility and Difficulty

~うる/~える/~えない: meaning, usage and examples

~うる/~える/~えない means: can... / be able to... (potential).

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. 誰だれにでも起おこりうることだ。

   It's something that can happen to anyone.

2. その可能性かのうせいは否定ひていしえない。

   That possibility cannot be denied.

3. 考かんがえうる限かぎりの方法ほうほうを試ためしたが、うまくいかなかった。

   I tried every method I could think of, but nothing worked.

4. この問題もんだいは一人ひとりの力ちからでは解決かいけつしえない。

   This problem cannot be solved by one person alone.

When to use it

A formal way to say that something is possible or can happen. It attaches to the ます-stem and appears mostly in writing, news and speeches, with verbs like 起おこる, ある, 考かんがえる and 理解りかいする. For example, 誰だれにでも起おこりうる means "it can happen to anyone." The negative えない says something is impossible or cannot be done.

Nuance

Written or formal; in conversation people use できる or the normal potential form. The affirmative is usually うる in the dictionary form (ありうる, 起おこりうる) and える before ます or in other forms; the negative is always えない. It describes possibility, not personal skill.

Compare

The potential form (話はなせる) talks about ability: 日本語にほんごが話はなせる. うる talks about whether something is possible at all: 事故じこは起おこりうる. Also compare かねない, which warns that a bad result may happen: 事故じこになりかねない, while うる is neutral about good or bad.

Tip: Memorize ありうる / ありえない first: ありえない is common even in casual speech ("no way!"). Never use うる for ability like swimming or reading.