How to say “can” in Chinese
can, be able
“Can” in Chinese is 能, néng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
能 is read néng. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “能”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 能. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 明天你能来吗míngtiānnǐnéngláimaCan you come tomorrow?
- 你能帮我一下吗？nǐnéngbāngwǒyíxiàmaCan you help me?
- 能换一件大一点儿的吗nénghuànyíjiàndàyìdiǎnrdemaCan I change it for a bigger one?
- 谁能回答这个问题shéinénghuídázhègewèntíWho can answer this question?
- 只要努力，就能学会。zhǐyàonǔlì,jiùnéngxuéhuìAs long as you try hard, you'll learn it.
- 我相信你能做好wǒxiāngxìnnǐnéngzuòhǎoI believe you can do it well.
More characters by topic — happiness, luck, strength, nature — on the page “Chinese characters with meanings”.
More words from the lesson “What are you doing right now?”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “can” in Chinese?
“Can” in Chinese is 能, pinyin néng.
What does 能 mean?
能 (néng) means “can, be able”.
How do you write 能?
能 is 1 character. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 能?
能 is read néng. Tones: néng — second tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“can” in the lesson “What are you doing right now?”
This word is from the topic “Study, work and free time” of HSK 1. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
Start for free