Japanese with Manga

Testing one's detective ability with 能力

Kanji Explanation: Ability and capability with 能

Manga panel from 名探偵コナン showing example of Testing one's detective ability with 能力.
名探偵コナン » Volume 6 » Page 18

Conan finds himself in the clutches of dangerous pair, only to discover it’s his parents in disguise.

コナン:
「ハハ…　それでオレが薬(くすり)で小(ちい)さくされた事情(じじょう)を阿笠(あがさ)博士(はかせ)に聞(き)いて、こんな悪巧(わるだく)みを仕組(しく)んだってわけか…」
“So you heard from Dr. Agasa about how I was shrunk by a drug and cooked up this evil scheme, huh...”
父(とう)さん:
「悪巧(わるだく)みじゃないさ！　おまえの探偵(たんてい)としての能力(のうりょく)を試(ため)してんだよ…」
“It's not an evil scheme! I'm just testing your abilities as a detective...”

Key Points

1能力(のうりょく) = ability or capacity
  • Here 能力(のうりょく) means Conan’s capability as a detective.
  • It refers to overall ability, broader than one specific skill.
2探偵(たんてい)としての能力(のうりょく) means ability in the role of a detective
  • としての frames the standard or role being judged.
  • The father is specifically testing Conan’s competence as a detective, not as a child or son.
3試(ため)してんだよ is casual explanatory speech
  • 試(ため)してんだ is a contraction of 試(ため)しているんだ.
  • It gives the line a relaxed but explanatory tone: “I’m testing you, that’s all.”
  • それで at the start of a sentence refers back to something previously said and introduces the result, much like “so” or “therefore” or “and then”.
名探偵コナン © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.