刻 meaning and stroke order
Quarter (hour); moment; to carve
How to write 刻, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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- 8
Meaning of 刻
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- quarter (hour)
- moment
- to carve
- to engrave
- to cut
- oppressive
How 刻 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Knife.
刂 gives the meaning and 亥 hints at the sound.
Radical: 刂 (knife), shared by 71 characters on this site.
How to remember 刻
The right side 刂 is a knife, so 刻 (kè) is about cutting and carving. The left side 亥 (hài) gives the sound, so picture a knife carving marks into wood, like the marks that once measured time.
刻 means to carve or engrave, and it also means a quarter hour or a short moment. It shows up constantly in words like 立刻 (lìkè, immediately) and 深刻 (shēnkè, profound). Example: 我立刻回来。(Wǒ lìkè huílái.) I'll be right back.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 刻 (kè) with 该 (gāi, should), because both use 亥. Remember that 刻 has the knife 刂 on the right, while 该 has the speech radical 讠 on the left.
Common words with 刻
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 立刻 | lìkè | immediately; at once; right away | HSK 3 |
| 时刻 | shíkè | time; juncture | HSK 3 |
| 深刻 | shēnkè | profound; deep | HSK 3 |
| 此刻 | cǐkè | this moment; now | HSK 5 |
| 刻意 | kèyì | intentionally; deliberately; purposely; painstakingly; meticulously | HSK 7-9 |
| 雕刻 | diāokè | to carve; to engrave | HSK 7-9 |
| 苛刻 | kēkè | harsh; severe; demanding | HSK 7-9 |
| 刻苦 | kèkǔ | hardworking; assiduous | HSK 7-9 |
| 刻舟求剑 | kèzhōu-qiújiàn | lit. a notch on the side of a boat to locate a sword dropped overboard (idiom); fig. an ac | HSK 7-9 |
| 一刻 | yīkè | a quarter of an hour; 15 minutes; a moment; an instant | |
| 片刻 | piànkè | short period of time; a moment | |
| 刻薄 | kèbó | unkind; harsh | |
| 即刻 | jíkè | immediately; instant | |
| 此时此刻 | cǐshícǐkè | at this very moment |
刻 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 刻
How many strokes are in 刻?
刻 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 刻 mean?
刻 (kè) means quarter (hour); moment; to carve. A common word with it is 立刻 (lìkè), meaning "immediately; at once; right away".
How do you pronounce 刻?
刻 is pronounced kè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 刻?
The radical of 刻 is 刂, which carries the idea of "knife". Dictionaries list 刻 under this radical.
Is 刻 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 刻 is part of the HSK 2 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 2.
How do you use 刻 to tell time in Chinese?
一刻 (yí kè) means fifteen minutes, so 三点一刻 (sān diǎn yí kè) is 3:15 and 三点三刻 (sān diǎn sān kè) is 3:45. People say 半 (bàn) for half past, not 两刻.
What is the difference between 立刻 and 马上?
Both mean right away. 马上 (mǎshàng) is more casual and can mean soon, while 立刻 (lìkè) stresses that something happens instantly with no delay.