恳 meaning and stroke order
Sincere, earnest, cordial
How to write 恳, stroke by stroke
10 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
Meaning of 恳
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- earnest
How 恳 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Heart.
心 gives the meaning and 艮 hints at the sound.
Radical: 心 (heart), shared by 97 characters on this site.
How to remember 恳
恳 (kěn) is 艮 sitting on top of 心 (heart). The heart at the bottom gives the meaning: something that comes sincerely from the heart, while 艮 hints at the sound.
恳 rarely appears alone and is mostly found in formal words like 诚恳 (chéngkěn, sincere), 恳求 (kěnqiú, to beg) and 恳请 (kěnqǐng, to request earnestly). These words often show up in polite letters, speeches and official requests. Example: 他的态度很诚恳。(Tā de tàidù hěn chéngkěn.) His attitude is very sincere.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 恳 (kěn) with 垦 (kěn, to cultivate land), which has the same top 艮 and the same sound but 土 (earth) at the bottom. Remember: heart 心 for sincerity, earth 土 for farming, as in 开垦 (kāikěn, to reclaim land).
Common words with 恳
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
恳 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 恳
How many strokes are in 恳?
恳 is written with 10 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 恳 mean?
恳 (kěn) means sincere, earnest, cordial. A common word with it is 恳求 (kěnqiú), meaning "to beg; to beseech".
How do you pronounce 恳?
恳 is pronounced kěn, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 恳?
The radical of 恳 is 心, which carries the idea of "heart". Dictionaries list 恳 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 恳?
The traditional form of 恳 is 懇. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 恳 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 恳 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 恳 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 恳求 and 恳请?
Both mean to ask earnestly, but 恳求 (kěnqiú) sounds more like begging and can carry emotion or desperation. 恳请 (kěnqǐng) is a polite, formal request, common in official writing such as 恳请批准 (please kindly approve).
Can I use 诚恳 to describe a person?
Yes. You can say 他很诚恳 (tā hěn chéngkěn), meaning he is sincere. It also describes attitudes, words or apologies, as in 诚恳地道歉 (chéngkěn de dàoqiàn, to apologize sincerely).