才能 meaning in English

cáinéng

talent; ability

HSK 3noun13 strokes

Meaning of 才能

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

cáinéng

talent
ability
capacity

How to use 才能

才能 is a noun for someone's talent or abilities, often used with verbs like 有 (yǒu), 发挥 (fāhuī, to bring into play), or 展示 (zhǎnshì, to show). It sounds a bit more formal than 本事 (běnshi). Example: 他很有音乐才能。(Tā hěn yǒu yīnyuè cáinéng.) He has a lot of musical talent.

才 (cái) means talent or natural gift, and 能 (néng) means ability, so 才能 is simply talent plus ability. Picture a person whose gifts (才) let them do things others cannot (能).

Common mistake: Learners often read 才能 in a sentence as the adverb 才 plus the verb 能, meaning "only then can", as in 你吃完饭才能走 (nǐ chī wán fàn cái néng zǒu, you can only leave after eating). Check the grammar: if it acts as a noun after 有 or 的, it means talent; if it comes before a verb, it is 才 + 能.

才能 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

我wǒ们men过guò多duō久jiǔ才cái能néng离lí开kāi？

How soon can we leave?

我wǒ该gāi怎zěn么me做zuò才cái能néng让ràng你nǐ更gèng注zhù意yì我wǒ？

What have I got to do so that you'll pay attention to me?

花huā了le很hěn久jiǔ才cái能néng听tīng懂dǒng她tā在zài说shuō什shén么me。

It took a long time to take in what she was saying.

我wǒ有yǒu很hěn多duō才cái能néng。

I have many abilities.

我wǒ因yīn为wèi有yǒu你nǐ的de建jiàn议yì才cái能néng成chéng功gōng。

I was able to succeed because of your advice.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

才 cái · ability · 3 strokes

能 néng · can · 10 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 才能.

可能	kěnéng	might (happen); possible
刚才	gāngcái	just now; a moment ago
只能	zhǐ néng	can only; obliged to do sth
能够	nénggòu	to be capable of; to be able to
能力	nénglì	capability; ability
人才	réncái	talent; talented person
功能	gōngnéng	function; capability
能不能	néng bu néng
能干	nénggàn	capable; competent
智能	zhìnéng	intelligent; able
天才	tiāncái	talent; gift
能量	néngliàng	energy; capabilities

Questions about 才能

What does 才能 mean?

才能 (cáinéng) means "talent; ability" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 才能?

才能 is made of 2 characters: 才 (3 strokes), 能 (10 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.

Is 才能 an HSK word?

Yes. 才能 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 才能 and 能力?

能力 (nénglì) is general capability, such as the ability to work or learn, and anyone can have it. 才能 leans toward talent or special gifts that stand out. You might say 工作能力 (work ability) but 艺术才能 (artistic talent).

How is 才能 related to 人才?

Both use 才 in the sense of talent. 才能 is the talent itself, while 人才 (réncái) is a talented person. For example, a company looks for 人才 who have 才能.