扣 meaning and stroke order
To fasten; to button; button
How to write 扣, stroke by stroke
6 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
Meaning of 扣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to fasten
- to button
- button
- buckle
- knot
- to arrest
How 扣 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Hand.
扌 gives the meaning and 口 hints at the sound.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 扣
A hand 扌 next to a mouth 口: picture your hand pushing a button through its small mouth-shaped buttonhole. The 口 also gives the sound, since 扣 (kòu) sounds like 口 (kǒu).
扣 is a verb for fastening, deducting, or holding something back, and in words like 扣子 (kòuzi) and 纽扣 (niǔkòu) it means a button. In daily life you often hear it about money being taken off, as in 扣除 (kòuchú) or 折扣 (zhékòu). Example: 请把扣子扣好。(Qǐng bǎ kòuzi kòu hǎo.) Please button up properly.
Common mistake: Learners often say 扣 with the third tone of 口 (kǒu), but 扣 is fourth tone, kòu. Also do not confuse it with 叩 (kòu, to knock or kowtow), which has the same sound but puts 口 on the left.
Common words with 扣
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 扣留 | kòuliú | to detain sb; to hold sb against their will; to withhold (property, documents, funds etc) | HSK 7-9 |
| 折扣 | zhékòu | discount | HSK 7-9 |
| 扣押 | kòuyā | to detain; to hold in custody | HSK 7-9 |
| 纽扣 | niǔkòu | button | HSK 7-9 |
| 扣除 | kòuchú | to deduct | HSK 7-9 |
| 回扣 | huíkòu | brokerage; a commission paid to a middleman | HSK 7-9 |
| 扣人心弦 | kòurénxīnxián | to excite; to thrill | HSK 7-9 |
| 扣子 | kòuzi | button | |
| 扣动 | kòudòng | to pull (a trigger) | |
| 不折不扣 | bùzhébùkòu | a hundred percent; to the letter | |
| 钮扣 | niǔkòu | variant of 紐扣|纽扣[niu3 kou4] | |
| 袖扣 | xiùkòu | cuff link |
扣 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 扣
How many strokes are in 扣?
扣 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 扣 mean?
扣 (kòu) means to fasten; to button; button. A common word with it is 扣留 (kòuliú), meaning "to detain sb; to hold sb against their will; to withhold (property, documents, funds etc)".
How do you pronounce 扣?
扣 is pronounced kòu, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 扣?
The radical of 扣 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 扣 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 扣?
The traditional form of 扣 is 釦. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 扣 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 扣 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 扣 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do you say 'deduct points' or 'dock pay' with 扣?
Use 扣 directly with the thing taken away: 扣分 (kòu fēn) means to lose or deduct points, and 扣工资 (kòu gōngzī) means to dock someone's pay. The amount can follow, as in 扣了两百块 (kòu le liǎng bǎi kuài), 200 yuan was deducted.
What does 打八折 have to do with 折扣?
折扣 (zhékòu) is the general word for a discount. A discount is usually stated as 打X折, where the number tells you what share you pay, so 打八折 (dǎ bā zhé) means you pay 80 percent, which is 20 percent off.