Meaning of 可靠
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- reliable
How to use 可靠
可靠 describes people, information, sources, and machines that you can trust. It often follows 很 or 不 and can also come before a noun with 的. Example: 他是一个很可靠的人。(Tā shì yí gè hěn kěkào de rén.) He is a very reliable person.
可 (kě) means can, and 靠 (kào) means to lean on. Someone 可靠 is a person you can lean on, so they are reliable.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 可告 or 可考, mixing 靠 (kào, fourth tone) with characters that sound alike, such as 告 (gào) or 考 (kǎo). Remember that 靠 is fourth tone and has 非 at the bottom.
可靠 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
可 kě · can · 5 strokes
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靠 kào · to lean against or on · 15 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 可靠.
| 可以 | kěyǐ | can; may |
| 可能 | kěnéng | might (happen); possible |
| 可是 | kěshì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 可爱 | kě'ài | adorable; cute |
| 可怕 | kěpà | awful; dreadful |
| 可乐 | kělè | amusing; entertaining |
| 认可 | rènkě | to approve; approval |
| 依靠 | yīkào | to rely on; to depend on |
| 可见 | kějiàn | it can clearly be seen (that this is the case); it is (thus) clear |
| 可怜 | kělián | pitiful; pathetic |
| 可惜 | kěxī | it is a pity; what a pity |
| 靠近 | kàojìn | to be close to; to approach; to draw near |
Questions about 可靠
What does 可靠 mean?
可靠 (kěkào) means "reliable" and is used as a adjective.
How do you write 可靠?
可靠 is made of 2 characters: 可 (5 strokes), 靠 (15 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 可靠 an HSK word?
Yes. 可靠 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 可靠 and 可信?
可靠 means dependable in general, for people, tools, or plans. 可信 (kěxìn) focuses on whether something is believable, such as a story or a claim. Information can be both 可靠 and 可信.
How do I say unreliable in Chinese?
The most common way is 不可靠 (bù kěkào). For example, 这个消息不可靠。(Zhège xiāoxi bù kěkào.) means This news is not reliable. In casual speech people also say 不靠谱 (bú kàopǔ).