〜かねる
Formation
Meaning
Used to politely or formally express inability to do something, often due to psychological or social reasons. It conveys the nuance of 'wanting to but being unable to' or 'finding it difficult to do so'.
Note
A formal and polite way to express that one cannot do something, often due to social constraints, responsibility, or psychological reluctance. It is common in business and customer service. It focuses on the difficulty of the situation rather than a simple lack of ability.
Examples
その件については、私には分かりかねます。
I'm afraid I cannot understand that matter personally.
申し訳ございませんが、ご希望には沿いかねます。
I am sorry, but I am unable to comply with your request.
個人的な質問にはお答えしかねます。
I cannot answer personal questions.
そのような不当な要求は、受け入れかねます。
I cannot accept such an unfair demand.
見守るに忍びず、思わず口を出し兼ねない状況だったが、今は静観しかねる。
It was a situation where I couldn't stand to just watch and almost spoke up, but now I cannot just wait and see.
現状では、これ以上の値引きはいたしかねます。
Under the current circumstances, we cannot offer any further discounts.