能

néng
HSK 1
#35 most
frequent character
to be able to, to be capable of
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

能 began as a drawing of a bear. Old forms used 厶 for the body, 月 for a large mouth, and two 匕 for legs; these are empty parts now. From 'bear' it moved to 'bear-like animal', then to 'power, ability' and 'energy'.

Drawn as: bear; body; large mouth; legs

能 as a component in other characters

meaning1 character
熊

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Example Sentences

我能说中文。
wǒnéng shuō zhōngwén 。
I can speak Chinese.
你能帮我吗？
nǐ néng bāng wǒma ？
Can you help me?
他能跑得很快。
tā néng pǎodé hěnkuài 。
He is able to run very fast.

Grammar Points

HSK 1
Expressing ability or possibility with "neng"
HSK 2
Comparing "hui," "neng," "keyi"

Words with similar meanings

可以kěyǐ
can
More common in everyday conversation and can also imply permission.
能够nénggòu
to be able to
More formal and often used in written contexts.

Words Starting With 能

能力néng lì
capability; capable; able; ability
能干néng gàn
capable; competent
能源néng yuán
energy; power source
能量néng liàng
energy; capabilities

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Public Lists with 能

HSK 1
All words for the HSK 1 test
Basic Verbs
Core action verbs like 'go,' 'come,' 'eat,' 'see,' commonly encountered in HSK.