課 meaning and stroke order
Subject, lesson, course; classwork
How to write 課, stroke by stroke
15 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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- 15
Meaning of 課
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- subject
- course
- class
- lesson
- to levy
- tax
How 課 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
言 gives the meaning and 果 hints at the sound.
Radical: 言 (words), shared by 155 characters on this site.
How to remember 課
課 is built from 言 (speech) on the left and 果 (guǒ, fruit) on the right. Picture a teacher speaking 言 in class so students can harvest the fruit 果 of learning, and 果 also hints at the sound kè.
課 means a lesson, class, or school subject, and it appears in many everyday school words like 上課 (shàngkè) and 下課 (xiàkè). It is also a measure word for lessons in a textbook. Example: 我們八點上課。(Wǒmen bā diǎn shàngkè.) We start class at eight.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 課 (kè) with 棵 (kē), which has the same 果 but a 木 tree radical and is the measure word for trees. Remember that 課 has the speech radical 言 and takes the fourth tone.
Common words with 課
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 上課 | shàngkè | to go to class; to attend class | HSK 1 |
| 下課 | xiàkè | to finish class; to get out of class | HSK 1 |
| 課本 | kèběn | textbook | HSK 1 |
| 課文 | kèwén | text | HSK 1 |
| 課堂 | kètáng | classroom (CL:間|间[jian1]); class session | HSK 2 |
| 課程 | kèchéng | course; academic program | HSK 3 |
| 功課 | gōngkè | homework; assignment | HSK 3 |
| 課題 | kètí | task; problem | HSK 5 |
| 講課 | jiǎngkè | to give a lecture; to teach a class | HSK 6 |
| 補課 | bǔkè | to make up missed lesson; to reschedule a class | HSK 6 |
| 備課 | bèikè | (of a teacher) to do one's lesson preparation | HSK 7-9 |
| 曠課 | kuàngkè | to play truant; to cut classes | HSK 7-9 |
| 課長 | kèzhǎng | section chief (of an administrative unit); head (of a department) | |
| 逃課 | táokè | to skip class |
Questions about 課
How many strokes are in 課?
課 is written with 15 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 課 mean?
課 (kè) means subject, lesson, course; classwork. A common word with it is 上课 (shàngkè), meaning "to go to class; to attend class".
How do you pronounce 課?
課 is pronounced kè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 課?
The radical of 課 is 言, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 課 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 課?
課 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 课, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What is the difference between 課 and 課程?
課 on its own usually means a single class or lesson, as in 一節課 (yì jié kè), one class period. 課程 (kèchéng) means a whole course or curriculum, such as a semester program of study.
How do I say 'Lesson 3' in a textbook with 課?
Use 第三課 (dì sān kè). Here 課 works as a measure word for textbook lessons, and the text of each lesson is called 課文 (kèwén).