全能
zennō
The Japanese word for almighty is 全能 (zennō).
全能 is used to describe someone or something that is unlimited in might. It is most commonly used in a religious context to describe an almighty God or in a philosophical context to describe omnipotence. You may also encounter the phrase 全知全能の, which combines the term for omnipotent with the term for omniscient.
Meaning: unlimited in might (adj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word 全能 is composed of the characters 全 (zen), meaning 'all' and 能 (nō), meaning 'ability' or 'power'.
How do you pronounce it?
zennō
Did you know?
- While 全能 is used for gods, the word 万能 is used for 'all-purpose' tools or versatile people. Using 全能 for a Swiss Army knife would sound like the tool possesses divine powers.
- Because 全能 is so heavily associated with a singular creator god, it is rarely used in Shinto contexts, where power is seen as distributed among millions of kami rather than concentrated in one almighty being.
- If you see the word 全能 in a manga or anime, it often refers to an 'all-powerful' ability or a 'cheat' skill that allows a character to bypass all rules.
Examples in context
- 彼は全知全能の存在です。He is an omniscient and omnipotent being.
- 全能の神を信じています。Zennou no kami o shinjite imasu.I believe in an almighty God.
- 彼は全能の力を手に入れた。Kare wa zennou no chikara o te ni ireta.He obtained almighty power.
- その物語は全能の存在を描いている。Sono monogatari wa zennou no sonzai o egaite iru.That story depicts an almighty being.
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are talking about a movie character.
- 陽太 Yotaあのキャラクターは全能みたいだね。Ano kyarakutaa wa zennou mitai da ne.That character seems to be almighty, doesn't he?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、何でもできちゃうもんね。Un, nandemo dekichau mon ne.Yeah, he can do anything.
- 陽太 Yotaでも、弱点もあるはずだよ。Demo, jakuten mo aru hazu da yo.But there must be a weakness too.
- 陽葵 Himari全能なら、弱点なんてないかもよ。Zennou nara, jakuten nante nai kamo yo.If he's almighty, he might not have any weaknesses.
