课 meaning and stroke order
Subject; course; class
How to write 课, 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 课
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- subject
- course
- class
- lesson
- to levy
- tax
How 课 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Speech.
讠 gives the meaning and 果 hints at the sound.
Radical: 讠 (words), shared by 144 characters on this site.
How to remember 课
课 combines the speech radical 讠 with 果 (guǒ, fruit), which gives the sound. Picture a teacher speaking 讠 in class so students can harvest the fruit 果 of learning.
课 means a class, lesson, or subject, and it appears in many school words like 上课 (shàngkè), 下课 (xiàkè), and 课本 (kèběn). It also works as a measure word for lessons in a textbook. Example: 我们八点上课。(Wǒmen bā diǎn shàngkè.) We start class at eight.
Common mistake: Learners often write 课 with 果 alone or confuse it with 棵 (kē), which uses the tree radical 木 and is a measure word for trees. Also keep the fourth tone in kè; do not let it drift toward the first tone of 棵.
Common words with 课
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 上课 | shàngkè | to go to class; to attend class | HSK 1 |
| 下课 | xiàkè | to finish class; to get out of class | HSK 1 |
| 课本 | kèběn | textbook | HSK 1 |
| 课文 | kèwén | text | HSK 1 |
| 课堂 | kètáng | classroom (CL:間|间[jian1]); class session | HSK 2 |
| 课程 | kèchéng | course; academic program | HSK 3 |
| 功课 | gōngkè | homework; assignment | HSK 3 |
| 课题 | kètí | task; problem | HSK 5 |
| 讲课 | jiǎngkè | to give a lecture; to teach a class | HSK 6 |
| 补课 | bǔkè | to make up missed lesson; to reschedule a class | HSK 6 |
| 备课 | bèikè | (of a teacher) to do one's lesson preparation | HSK 7-9 |
| 旷课 | kuàngkè | to play truant; to cut classes | HSK 7-9 |
| 课长 | kèzhǎng | section chief (of an administrative unit); head (of a department) | |
| 逃课 | táokè | to skip class |
课 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 课
How many strokes are in 课?
课 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 课 mean?
课 (kè) means subject; course; class. A common word with it is 上课 (shàngkè), meaning "to go to class; to attend class".
How do you pronounce 课?
课 is pronounced kè, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 课?
The radical of 课 is 讠, which carries the idea of "words". Dictionaries list 课 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 课?
The traditional form of 课 is 課. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 课 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 课 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 课 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
How do you say Lesson 3 in Chinese?
Say 第三课 (dì sān kè). Here 课 acts as a measure word for a lesson or unit in a textbook.
What is the difference between 课 and 课程?
课 is a single class or lesson, as in 一节课 (yì jié kè), one class period. 课程 (kèchéng) is a whole course or curriculum made up of many classes.