能（のう）
JLPT N2 · noun
Pitch accent: atamadaka (head-high) — first mora high, then falls
Meaning: noh theater
Example sentences
- 能はとても静かで奥深い芸術だ。 — Noh is a very quiet and profound art form.
- 能の舞台を一度見てみたい。 — I'd like to see a Noh performance once.
Idioms & proverbs containing “能”
- 能ある鷹は爪を隠す (のうあるたかはつめをかくす) — a wise man keeps some of his talents in reserve; one shouldn't show off; the person who knows most often says least; a skilled hawk hides its talons
- 凝っては思案に能わず (こってはしあんにあたわず) — too much thinking gets you nowhere; excessive enthusiasm clouds one's judgment
- 強弩の末魯縞に入る能わず (きょうどのすえろこうにいるあたわず) — even the strong will grow weak; (even an arrow fired from) a strong bow loses momentum until it cannot even penetrate a piece of thin silk from Lu
- 全知全能 (ぜんちぜんのう) — omniscience and omnipotence
- 帰巣本能 (きそうほんのう) — homing instinct
- 無為無能 (むいむのう) — idle and incompetent; accomplishing nothing significant nor being capable of doing so; lacking the talent to do anything but idle away one's time
Related words
See it used in real works
- Example sentences from Japanese novels & web fiction (Massif)
- Hear “能” pronounced in real videos (YouGlish)