HSK 4 · Verbs

能力 nénglì “capability” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 能力 means

  1. capability
  2. ability

Measure word 个 gè · 一个能力 yí ge nénglì

How to say 能力

  • Pitch chart of the second tone: rises from mid to high, 3 to 5 on the five-level scale能néng2nd tone, rising
  • Pitch chart of the fourth tone: falls from high to low, 5 to 1 on the five-level scale力lì4th tone, falling

能力 in a sentence

  1. 你的学习能力很强。

    Nǐ de xuéxí nénglì hěn qiáng.

    You have a strong ability to learn.

    Sentence #9990172 from Tatoeba

  2. 他没有能力去管理那个团队。

    Tā méiyǒu nénglì qù guǎnlǐ nà ge tuánduì.

    He doesn’t have the ability to manage that team.

    Sentence #14037698 from Tatoeba · translation adapted

  3. 我觉得他是一个有能力的人。

    Wǒ juéde tā shì yí ge yǒu nénglì de rén.

    I think he’s a man of ability.

    Sentence #1479338 from Tatoeba · converted to simplified characters

How 能力 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 能 (néng) with each of its parts in a different colour
能néngcan
  • 厶private · sī
  • ⺼meat form of 肉 · ròu
  • 匕spoon · bǐ
  • 匕spoon · bǐ

Memory aidDrawn from a bear. It was borrowed for “can, be able to”.

The character 力 (lì) drawn as one shape
力lìpower

力 is a single shape of 2 strokes. Learn it whole, then watch its stroke order below.

Memory aidThought to show an old plough, and pulling it took strength: strength, power.

How to write 能力

能 10 strokes · 力 2 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

能力 (nénglì) stroke order chart: each stroke of the characters in the order you write them
Stroke order chart for 能力 (nénglì). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 能力

Words with 能

能néng · can可能kěnéng · maybe只能zhǐnéng · can only能够nénggòu · to be able to能干nénggàn · capable能源néngyuán · energy功能gōngnéng · function职能zhínéng · function能量néngliàng · energy性能xìngnéng · performance

Words with 力

努力nǔlì · to work hard力气lìqi · strength压力yālì · pressure巧克力qiǎokèlì · chocolate (loanword)精力jīnglì · energy尽力jìnlì · to strive one’s hardest权力quánlì · power力量lìliang · power魅力mèilì · charm视力shìlì · eyesight

More words: Thinking & Talking

理解lǐjiě · to comprehend理想lǐxiǎng · an ideal联系liánxì · to contact梦mèng · dream判断pànduàn · to judge批评pīpíng · to criticise商量shāngliang · to consult熟悉shúxī · to be familiar with

FAQs

能力 (nénglì) means “capability” or “ability”. It is an HSK 4 word.
Say it nénglì: néng with a 2nd tone, then lì with a 4th tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 能力 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Use 个 (gè). For example, one capability is 一个能力 (yí ge nénglì).
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type nengli with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 能力 from the suggestions. Typing nengli into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
能力 is an HSK 4 word in the HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.