才能 (cáinéng) — Ability in Mandarin

cái​néng
“Ability”

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#474 most common word

Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.

Tone breakdown

才能 is pronounced cáinéng. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.

cái
second tone (rising, ˊ)
néng
second tone (rising, ˊ)

In a sentence

Tā yǒu yīnyuè cáinéng.

He has musical talent.

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Frequently asked questions

What does 才能 mean?+

才能 (cáinéng) means "Ability" in Mandarin Chinese.

How do you pronounce 才能?+

才能 is pronounced cáinéng. It uses the tone 2 (rising). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.

How common is 才能 in Mandarin?+

才能 is the #474 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.

Words at a similar frequency

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Browse more on the Mandarin vocabulary hub, or read how to learn Mandarin tones.