# 能 — ability; Noh theatre

能 means “ability; Noh theatre”. It is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 10 strokes. On'yomi: ノウ (nou). Kun'yomi: よ(く) (yoku). You'll see it in words such as 能 (nou, “talent; Noh theatre”).

- Meaning: ability; Noh theatre
- On'yomi: ノウ (nou)
- Kun'yomi: よ(く) (yoku)
- Strokes: 10
- Level: JLPT N3 · set Qualities 2

## How to remember 能

Parts: ム elbow; private · 月 moon; flesh · 匕 sitting person; spoon

## Words with 能

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 能 | のう (nou) | talent; Noh theatre |

## Don't confuse it with

[育](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/bring-up/) · [背](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/back/) · [脂](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/fat/) · [胎](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/womb/)

## More in the “Qualities 2” set

[容](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/contain/) · [必](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/certainly/) · [能](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/ability/) · [無](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/nothing/) · [状](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/condition/) · [可](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/possible/) · [難](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/difficult/) · [優](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/superior/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/ability/. Last updated 2026-11-01.