Capable as in “having power and ability”?


> India is a nuclear-capable country.

インドは核 **保有** 国です。 =having/has/possesses

> He is a capable person.

彼は **有能な** 人です。 =an able x

> He is capable of piloting a plane.

彼は飛行機を操縦 **することができます** 。 =has ability of x

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Is there a solid word, written or spoken, to mean capable as in “having power
_and_ ability”?

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For example, a retired pilot (ability) is not capable of flying a plane
because they have no power to do so; Canada supplies the world with enriched
uranium and has centrifuge facilities (power), but does not have the expertise
to go further (ability); A person with intelligence and family money (ability)
who engages exclusively in vice after vice is not a capable person (power over
oneself).




I messaged some native speakers; this is a tough one. できる, 有能な, 可能な, and 能力
have their unique nuances (even though 能力 looks kind of like ‘skillset/talent’
fused with ‘power’, which is what one of the definitions of _capable_ is.)

Given the examples, I’m told 可能な is the most versatile choice closest to
_capable_.

However, here is what I reverse-engineered from Google Translate as an
experiment that a few Japanese who have been in North America for a while find
okay (as a new word, but makes sense to them). Good enough unless there is a
better word or loan-word out there.

[![capable](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4tFZ.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/f4tFZ.jpg)

例) 彼はケーパブルな人です。

Pulling on this thread just a bit more…

[![tom](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ln3nz.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Ln3nz.jpg)

Some may see how 有能な makes sense naturally and grammatically, but… “has
talent/skillset” for something you cannot practice yet you can only do
correctly once? English’s _capable_ works fine here. (Not to mention the mess
with “Tom would make an _unwitting_ , capable s—— bomber.”)

—-

**Update** : I’m accepting my own answer because it is not lost in the weeds
of picking apart examples and the only answer that tries to capture the
concept. Native Japanese in Japan say “there isn’t a single word for capable”,
and Japanese who have lived in northern North America for some time say ケーパブル
is fine as a loan word because they recognize the nuance. Asked and answered.




I think the closest and most neutral equivalent of “capable” is 能力がある. It is
usually modified by something that comes before it as in 飛行機を操縦する能力があるパイロット
and 核兵器を保有する能力がある国. There may be circumstances where 飛行機を操縦する能力があるパイロット cannot
fly a plane, and 核兵器を保有する能力がある国 might choose not to possess nuclear weapons. I
think the same can be said about a pilot capable of flying a plane and a
country capable of possessing nuclear weapons.

The unmodified 能力がある, and 有能な, are usually reserved for people. 能力のある人 or 有能な人
might use their abilities for evil or waste them completely either by choice
or circumstance. I am not sure if the same can be said about a capable person.
I would guess so.

