能
néng
- Pinyin
- néng
- Pinyin (Plain)
- neng
- Tone
- 2
- Strokes
- 10
- Radical
- 肉
- Readings
- néngnengTone: 2surname NengOrder: 0Primary
- Stroke Order Code
- Speed
- Stroke Order Data
- ["M 415 603 Q 327 591 225 558 Q 209 554 217 566 Q 233 590 282 646 Q 357 733 372 743 Q 381 750 386 757 Q 390 770 371 786 Q 337 813 311 816 Q 298 817 291 811 Q 287 804 295 795 Q 310 774 286 727 Q 208 594 157 555 Q 120 534 132 494 Q 139 473 151 474 Q 157 475 171 484 Q 249 539 400 575 Q 412 578 421 579 Q 422 580 428 580 C 458 585 445 607 415 603 Z", "M 428 580 Q 452 535 464 531 Q 473 528 481 537 Q 490 547 491 575 Q 492 596 469 621 Q 412 672 396 671 Q 392 670 389 658 Q 388 652 415 603 L 428 580 Z", "M 241 210 Q 244 259 248 296 L 250 322 Q 253 370 256 387 Q 256 391 256 393 C 258 412 258 412 245 420 Q 244 423 240 424 Q 212 439 195 438 Q 182 434 187 423 Q 230 324 181 134 Q 148 64 180 22 Q 186 9 196 14 Q 238 41 238 175 Q 238 179 239 183 L 241 210 Z", "M 256 393 Q 262 394 269 397 Q 314 407 359 419 Q 377 423 381 415 Q 402 352 391 105 Q 388 83 382 72 Q 381 72 322 75 Q 303 81 305 72 Q 350 32 376 3 Q 388 -13 402 -18 Q 409 -22 418 -13 Q 454 33 452 81 Q 430 366 450 404 Q 460 420 450 430 Q 431 446 398 460 Q 382 467 368 460 Q 320 433 245 420 C 216 414 227 385 256 393 Z", "M 248 296 Q 249 296 254 296 Q 308 303 348 306 Q 369 310 361 321 Q 351 334 329 338 Q 298 342 250 322 C 222 311 218 296 248 296 Z", "M 239 183 Q 240 183 245 183 Q 306 190 351 193 Q 373 197 365 209 Q 355 222 331 227 Q 307 231 241 210 C 212 201 209 183 239 183 Z", "M 586 611 Q 622 626 744 683 Q 765 693 788 699 Q 810 705 803 723 Q 794 741 773 759 Q 754 777 741 776 Q 728 777 730 764 Q 730 733 658 682 Q 624 657 587 630 C 563 612 558 599 586 611 Z", "M 867 511 Q 851 536 835 584 Q 832 597 825 602 Q 818 606 816 587 Q 803 532 794 521 Q 776 500 685 499 Q 637 502 617 510 Q 599 520 596 532 Q 587 556 586 611 L 587 630 Q 593 708 609 744 Q 621 771 603 787 Q 558 821 544 818 Q 531 814 537 797 Q 555 763 549 713 Q 540 530 568 495 Q 583 474 642 461 Q 687 452 759 452 Q 825 452 851 465 Q 879 481 867 511 Z", "M 600 221 Q 705 255 812 291 Q 836 295 830 315 Q 823 336 801 357 Q 782 378 768 378 Q 755 381 755 366 Q 752 336 672 286 Q 638 267 603 243 C 578 226 571 212 600 221 Z", "M 948 77 Q 930 123 919 201 Q 918 217 910 222 Q 901 226 898 207 Q 882 110 868 94 Q 837 64 726 62 Q 663 63 637 75 Q 613 87 608 103 Q 601 125 600 221 L 603 243 Q 609 307 624 338 Q 637 368 618 385 Q 569 424 552 420 Q 537 414 544 397 Q 563 360 558 304 Q 549 99 575 65 Q 596 32 673 19 Q 728 9 818 11 Q 897 14 930 30 Q 960 46 948 77 Z"]
- Meaning
- “能” most often means “can / be able to,” expressing ability, possibility, or permission (e.g., “我能游泳” – “I can swim”). It can also refer to capability or talent as a noun (“本领, 才能”).
- Metadata
- Locale: enCached At: 3/24/2026, 7:16:48 PM
Usage
能 is most commonly learned as a modal verb meaning “can,” “be able to,” or “have the ability to.” Learners first meet it in simple ability sentences like 我能游泳 “I can swim” or 你能帮我吗？ “Can you help me?” It often appears interchangeably with 可以, but 可以 leans more toward “may / be allowed to,” while 能 is more about actual ability or possibility (e.g., 今天太忙，不能去 “I can’t go today, I’m too busy”). It’s also used in practical everyday questions about capability or conditions, such as 这台电脑还能用吗？ “Can this computer still be used?” Beyond the basic “can” meaning, 能 appears in many very common words and patterns that learners see early. It is used in 能不能… questions (你能不能说慢一点？ “Can you speak a bit more slowly?”), and in potential expressions like 吃得了 / 吃不了这么多 “(not) able to eat this much.” As a noun or adjective, it appears in words like 能力 “ability; capability” and 可能 “possible; maybe.” Learners also encounter 能 in set phrases such as 尽可能 “as … as possible” and 又能…又能… “both … and … (capable of multiple things),” which extend the core idea of capability and possibility into more complex, natural expressions.
Handwriting Notes
能 in handwriting usually looks more compact and rounded than in printed fonts, with the top “moon-like” part (⺼/月 shape) slightly squashed and the lower component flowing as a continuous structure rather than a set of clearly separated blocks. The overall shape is taller than it is wide, and many writers slightly link adjacent strokes, so the character can appear denser and more cursive than the neat, squared typeface version learners see in textbooks. Individual handwriting styles vary: some people simplify the interior details of the top component, some make the central vertical and diagonal strokes more curved, and the bottom portion can range from relatively angular and boxy to quite smooth and looping. Despite these variations, the general silhouette and key components remain recognizable, and modern AI-based handwriting recognition systems are trained on large samples of such handwritten variants to correctly identify 能 even when it is written quickly, with merged strokes, or in different personal styles.
Description
能 is a common character meaning “can,” “be able to,” or “have the ability to.” It is often used before a verb to express possibility or capability, as in 能说汉语 (“can speak Chinese”). It can also mean “capability” or “ability” as a noun in some contexts.
Common Words
- 能neng2can
- 贤能xian2 neng2sage
- 权能quan2 neng2power
- 不能bu4 neng2cannot
- 才能cai2 neng2talent
Example Sentences
我喜欢能。
wo3 xi3 huan5 neng2
I like can.
贤能很常见。
xian2 neng2 hen3 chang2 jian4
贤能 is very common.
我们在学习权能。
wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 quan2 neng2
We are learning power.
这个不能很重要。
zhe4 ge5 bu4 neng2 hen3 zhong4 yao4
This cannot is important.
请写一下“能”。
qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 neng2
Please write '能'.