Chinese symbol for “capable”
能干
néng gàn
Traditional: 能幹
capable; competent
The closest CC-CEDICT match for capable is 能干 (néng gàn), defined as: capable; competent.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Traditional forms
Other Chinese words for “capable”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 行 | xíng | (bound form) to walk; to go; to travel; (literary) trip; journey; visit |
| 有才干 (有才幹) | yǒu cái gàn | capable |
| 心灵手巧 (心靈手巧) | xīn líng shǒu qiǎo | capable; clever |
| 棒 | bàng | stick; club |
| 得力 | dé lì | able; capable |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 能干.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 可能 | kě néng | might (happen); possible |
| 不能 | bù néng | cannot; must not |
| 能够 (能夠) | néng gòu | to be capable of; to be able to |
| 能力 | néng lì | capability; ability |
| 才能 | cái néng | talent; ability |
| 功能 | gōng néng | function; capability |
| 干部 (幹部) | gàn bù | cadre; official |
| 干净 (乾淨) | gān jìng | clean; neat |
See also: Japanese symbol for “capable”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.