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ことができる Japanese meaning | Kotomora

ことができる

Common word

Meanings

1

expression, ichidan verb

can; be able to; be possible to

usually written using kana alone

Attaches to the dictionary form of a verb to express ability or possibility. It is usually used as verb+ことができる.

日本にほん語ごを話はなすことができる。
I can speak Japanese.
ここで写しゃ真しんを撮と

る

こと

が

でき

ます

か

。

Is it possible to take photos here?

Written forms

事ことができる
Kanji spelling using 事; less common than kana but still encountered.
ことが出で来きる
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; 出来る is a common kanji for できる, but the full pattern is usually written in kana.
事ことが出で来きる

Kanji

出exit, leave, go out
来come, due, next
事matter, thing, fact

Similar words

られる
られる is a verb suffix that also expresses potential, but ことができる is a more formal or explicit alternative, often used with longer verb phrases or in written language.
できる
できる alone means 'can' or 'be able to' with nouns or する-verbs, while ことができる is the full pattern used after dictionary-form verbs.

Etymology

Grammaticalized pattern from こと (abstract thing) + が (subject marker) + できる (to be able). Literally 'the thing is possible', reanalyzed as a potential auxiliary.