Meaning of 扣
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to fasten
- to button
- button
- buckle
- knot
- to arrest
- to confiscate
- to deduct (money)
- button
How to use 扣
扣 is a common verb meaning to fasten or button, and in daily life it often means to deduct money or points. Example: 迟到要扣工资。(Chídào yào kòu gōngzī.) If you are late, your pay gets docked.
扣 is made of the hand radical 扌 and 口 (kǒu, mouth or opening), which also hints at the sound. Picture a hand pushing a button through a small opening to fasten your coat.
Common mistake: Learners often say kǒu with a third tone because of the 口 component, but 扣 is fourth tone, kòu. Also do not confuse it with 叩 (kòu, to knock), which has the same sound but 卩 on the right instead of the hand radical.
扣 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.
扣 kòu · to fasten · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 扣.
| 扣留 | kòuliú | to detain sb; to hold sb against their will; to withhold (property, documents, funds etc) |
| 折扣 | zhékòu | discount |
| 扣押 | kòuyā | to detain; to hold in custody |
| 纽扣 | niǔkòu | button |
| 扣除 | kòuchú | to deduct |
| 回扣 | huíkòu | brokerage; a commission paid to a middleman |
| 扣人心弦 | kòurénxīnxián | to excite; to thrill |
| 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 |
Questions about 扣
What does 扣 mean?
扣 (kòu) means "to fasten; to button" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 扣?
扣 is made of 1 character: 扣 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 扣 an HSK word?
Yes. 扣 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 打八折 or 折扣 mean when shopping?
折扣 (zhékòu) means a discount. Chinese discounts are stated as the percentage you pay, so 八折 (bā zhé) means you pay 80 percent, which is 20 percent off.
Can 扣 be used for sports like volleyball or basketball?
Yes. 扣球 (kòuqiú) means to spike a ball in volleyball, and 扣篮 (kòulán) means a slam dunk in basketball. Both come from the idea of pressing something down hard.