DICTIONARY
The Chinese word neng - 能 - néng
(can in Chinese)
Phonetic script (Hanyu Pinyin)
néng
Listen to pronunciation
(Mandarin = standard Chinese without accent)
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English translations
can, capability, capable, energy,
ability
Chinese character and stroke order animation"How do I write 能 ( néng ) correctly?"
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
The strokes that all Chinese characters are composed of are to be written in a certain order which has originally been defined by Chinese calligraphy. Writing all characters according to the same rules assures that their intended shape and style are generally preserved even if written by different writers.
This dictionary shows you the correct stroke order as an animation for all characters so you can learn and understand how to write the character correctly. :
The traditional Chinese characters of néng are identical with the modern (simplified) characters displayed above.
Chinese Pinyin example sentence with 能 ( neng / néng ) ⓘWriting in Pinyin
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Before using this Pinyin example sentence, consider that Chinese characters should always be your first choice in written communication.
If you cannot use Chinese characters, it is preferable to use the Pinyin with tones. Only use the Pinyin without tones if there's no other option (e.g. writing a text message from/to a mobile phone that doesn't support special characters such as ā, í, ǒ, ù).
Ni neng lai ma?
Nǐ néng lái ma?– English translation: Can you come?
Topic
(no topic assigned)
Character complexity
能 is composed of 10 strokes and therefore is of average complexity compared to the other simplified Chinese characters (average: 13.1 strokes).
Tags and additional information
(Meaning of individual characters, character components etc.)
capability | competent
能 ( neng / néng ) belongs to the 100 most common Chinese characters (rank 57)
能 ( neng / néng ) belongs to the 100 most common Chinese characters (rank 57)
Chinese example words containing the character 能 ( neng / néng )
Report missing or erroneous translation of neng in English
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Version 5.52 / Last updated: 2026-11-03