能
のう · nou · JLPT N3 · noun
inch
🐻 能 nou sounds like know: having the know-how to do something properly
能 began as a drawing of a bear, an animal admired for its strength. Add the fire dots below and you get 熊, the word for bear today. 能 kept the sense of ability, as in 能力 nouryoku (skill) and the Noh theatre, 能.
能 — 厶 (head) + 月 (body/flesh) + 匕匕 (legs)
Originally a pictograph of a bear, showing its head, body, and powerful legs. Because bears were seen as strong and capable, the character was borrowed to mean 'ability' or 'can'. A new character 熊 (with the fire radical 灬) was later created for 'bear'.