垦 meaning and stroke order
To cultivate, to farm; to reclaim
How to write 垦, stroke by stroke
9 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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Meaning of 垦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to reclaim (land)
- to cultivate
How 垦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Earth.
土 gives the meaning and 艮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 土 (soil), shared by 183 characters on this site.
How to remember 垦
垦 is 艮 (gèn) sitting on top of 土 (tǔ, earth). The earth part shows the meaning, working the soil, while 艮 gives a hint of the sound, close to kěn.
垦 is mostly used in written or formal Chinese about turning wild land into farmland, and it rarely stands alone. The most common word is 开垦 (kāikěn). Example: 他们开垦了一片荒地。(Tāmen kāikěn le yí piàn huāngdì.) They cleared a piece of wasteland for farming.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 垦 with 恳 (kěn, sincere), which has the same top 艮 and the same sound but 心 (heart) underneath. Remember: earth 土 for farming land, heart 心 for sincerity, as in 诚恳 (chéngkěn).
Common words with 垦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 开垦 | kāikěn | to clear a wild area for cultivation; to put under the plow | HSK 7-9 |
Questions about 垦
How many strokes are in 垦?
垦 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 垦 mean?
垦 (kěn) means to cultivate, to farm; to reclaim. A common word with it is 开垦 (kāikěn), meaning "to clear a wild area for cultivation; to put under the plow".
How do you pronounce 垦?
垦 is pronounced kěn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 垦?
The radical of 垦 is 土, which carries the idea of "soil". Dictionaries list 垦 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 垦?
The traditional form of 垦 is 墾. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 垦 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 垦 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 垦 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 垦 and 耕?
耕 (gēng) means to plow land that is already farmland, as in 耕地 (gēngdì). 垦 focuses on reclaiming or opening up new, wild land for the first time, as in 开垦 (kāikěn).
What other words use 垦?
Besides 开垦, you may see 垦荒 (kěnhuāng), to reclaim wasteland, and 垦殖 (kěnzhí), to reclaim land and farm it. These are mostly found in news, history, or official writing.