Writing
能 (néng) — how to say "can" in Chinese
能
Can, to be able to
modal verb
How to use it
Can 能 describe a learned skill?
能 often describes ability in a particular situation. 我能去 says I am able to go. 会 tends to mark a learned skill, and the two uses overlap: 能 is not wrong for skills like languages. Treat the contrast as a tendency, not a hard division. Goes before another verb.
我能去
wǒ néng qù
I can go.
Radicals / Keys
肉
Meat
#130 · ròu · 6 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
能说汉语
néng shuō Hànyǔ
can speak Chinese
能来
néng lái
can come
Examples
我能坐出租车去北京，你能去吗？
I can take a taxi to Beijing, can you go?
Mnemonic
[néng-] Nemo, the famous cartoon character, swims out of his underwater castle holding a sign that says 能 "CAN" 💪. The sign depicts an underwater maze, and Nemo realizes that his superpower 能 is to be able to navigate through it effortlessly.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "can" in Chinese?
"can" in Chinese is 能 (néng).
能 meaning in English
能 (néng) means "Can, to be able to".
Can in Chinese pinyin?
It is pronounced néng (written as neng). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "can" in Chinese characters?
It is written 能 and has 10 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 能?
能 belongs to the HSK 1 vocabulary list.
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