能 (néng) means "can, able" with 10 strokes, radical 月 (meat), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: can
Other meanings:
- able
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The oracle-bone and bronze forms of 能 depict a bear: a head on the upper left, a body or paws on the right, and stubby legs below. The character originally referred specifically to a type of bear and is a pictograph, though the modern shape has drifted far from the animal outline. The two 匕 elements on the right were originally the bear's limbs or claws.
Form evolution
Bronze forms still show a recognisable animal with head, body, and two legs. Seal script broke the figure into four components: 厶 (originally the head), 月 (the body, here meat rather than moon), and two 匕 (the limbs). Clerical and modern standard script preserve this four-part layout exactly, producing 能, with no trace of the bear visible to the untrained eye.
How the meaning evolved
Original meaning was a species of bear, a sense now written 熊 with a fire radical added below. 能 was borrowed early to write the modal verb meaning to be able, capable, or possible, and that loan meaning took over completely. Modern Mandarin uses it overwhelmingly as can or ability (能力, 可能, 能够), while the bear sense survives only in paleographic discussion.
Cultural note
熊 (bear) is literally 能 with 灬 (fire) added underneath, a later differentiation once 能 had been fully hijacked for the modal sense. The pairing is a standard example cited when explaining how phonetic loans force the creation of new characters to recover the original meaning.
Mnemonic
A bear with flesh and claws — able, capable
Decomposition
Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.
Basic info
| Pinyin | néng |
| Meanings | can, able |
| Stroke count | 10 strokes |
| Radical | 月 (#130: meat) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #132 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 能
Related characters
Similar meaning (abstract)
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.