开 meaning in English
to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start
Meaning of 开
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to open (transitive or intransitive)
- (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start
- to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run
- to boil
- to write out (a prescription, check, invoice etc)
- (directional complement) away; off
- carat (gold)
- abbr. for Kelvin, 開爾文|开尔文[Kai1 er3 wen2]
How to use 开
开 (kāi) is used for opening things, turning on machines, driving vehicles, and starting events. It also follows verbs to mean "away" or "apart," as in 离开 (líkāi, to leave). Example: 请开门。(Qǐng kāi mén.) Please open the door.
The traditional form 開 shows two hands lifting the bar of a door 門. The simplified 开 keeps just that bar and the two hands, so picture someone pushing a bolt aside to open up.
Common mistake: Learners often say 开 for turning on a light but forget the opposite is 关 (guān), not 闭. Also, 开心 (kāixīn) means happy, not "open-hearted" in the sense of honest.
开 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.
开 kāi · to open · 4 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
Related words
Words that share a character with 开.
| 打开 | dǎkāi | to open; to show (a ticket) |
| 开玩笑 | kāi wánxiào | to play a joke; to make fun of; to joke |
| 开车 | kāichē | to drive a car (or train etc); (slang) to post sexual content online; to make a sexual jok |
| 开会 | kāihuì | to hold or attend a meeting |
| 离开 | líkāi | to depart; to leave |
| 开心 | kāixīn | to feel happy; to rejoice |
| 走开 | zǒukāi | to leave; to walk away; to beat it; to move aside |
| 分开 | fēnkāi | to separate; to part |
| 开学 | kāixué | (of a student) to start school; (of a semester) to begin |
| 开机 | kāijī | to start an engine; to boot up (a computer) |
| 开始 | kāishǐ | to begin; to start; beginning; start |
| 公开 | gōngkāi | open; overt; public; to make public; to release |
Questions about 开
What does 开 mean?
开 (kāi) means "to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 开?
开 is made of 1 character: 开 (4 strokes). That is 4 strokes in total.
Is 开 an HSK word?
Yes. 开 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 开 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 开 is written 開.
What is the difference between 开 and 打开?
Both can mean to open, but 打开 (dǎkāi) is more complete and common for objects like boxes, books, apps, or files. 开 alone is short and fixed in many set phrases like 开门 or 开车.
Can 开 mean to boil water?
Yes. 水开了 (shuǐ kāi le) means the water has boiled, and 开水 (kāishuǐ) is boiled water. This sense is very common in daily life.