English–Japanese
“can” in Japanese
How to say “can” in Japanese
“Can” in Japanese is できる (dekiru). できる can also mean “be able to”.
Describes an action or situation as within the range of what a person or circumstance can make happen.
Example sentences with できる
私は泳ぐことができます。watashi wa oyo gu ko to ga de ki ma su
I can swim.
この店では、カードで支払うことができます。ko no mise de wa kā do de shi hara u ko to ga de ki ma su
You can pay by card at this store.
Tips for using できる
- The negative form できない (dekinai) is a frequent conversational way to say that an action cannot be done, so learners meet できる (dekiru) and できない (dekinai) as a useful pair.
Other Japanese words for “can”
缶を開けます。kan o a ke ma su
I open a can.