Character: 能 (néng) can

能
Pinyin néng
Meaning can; to be able to; to be allowed to; might possibly; ability; energy
Radical 月 繁體字 same
Two writing patterns can be found in the character 能 (néng) can: 月, highlighted in red; and 匕, highlighted in yellow 月
匕

writing patterns, not components

Chinese character pictographcategory: pictograph

Chinese character left right structurestructure: left right

10stroke count

HSK 1

Stroke order of the Chinese character 能 (néng) can. There are 10 strokes, and the character is written from left to right

能 (néng) was a pictograph of a bear, but the form has been changed several times, and now it no longer resembles a bear. Today, 能 (néng) refers to abilities, sometimes translated as “can.” This meaning probably comes from the physical ability of a bear.

Used as a morpheme/word

Wordlist

  • HSK 1: 能 (néng) can
  • HSK 2: 可能 (kěnéng) possible
  • HSK 4: 能力 (nénglì) capability
  • HSK 5: 功能 (gōngnéng) function
  • HSK 5: 能源 (néngyuán) energy

How to pronounce

This character sounds like “none” but finishes with an ng sound, and the o is pronounced like e, as in “often.”

2ng Pinyin Yale IPA
Initial n- n [n]
Final -eng eng [əŋ]

Chinese character practice sheet

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