Writing
只能 (zhǐ néng) — how to say "can only" in Chinese
只能
Can only
Character composition
只
only
能
can
Radicals / Keys
口
Mouth
#30 · kǒu · 3 strokes
肉
Meat
#130 · ròu · 6 strokes
Collocations
只能吃面包
zhǐ néng chī miànbāo
can only eat bread
只能坐地铁
zhǐ néng zuò dìtiě
can only take the subway
Examples
他只能在家里工作，不能去办公室。
He can only work at home, he cannot go to the office.
我只能说中文。
I can only speak Chinese.
Mnemonic
[zhǐ néng-] The bird Zhi and a panda named Neng bake a pie 🥧. They have only one berry left. '只能 put one!' sighs Zhi. Panda Neng nods: yes, they can only add one berry.
Try remembering 只能
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Frequently asked questions
How do you say "can only" in Chinese?
"can only" in Chinese is 只能 (zhǐ néng).
What does 只能 mean in English?
只能 (zhǐ néng) means "Can only".
How is 只能 pronounced?
It is pronounced zhǐ néng (written as zhi neng, zhineng). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "can only" in Chinese characters?
It is written 只能: 只 has 5 strokes, 能 has 10 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order of each character and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 只能?
只能 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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