Meaning of 科
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- branch of study
- administrative section
- division
- field
- branch
- stage directions
- family (taxonomy)
- rules
Measure word: 個|个
How to use 科
科 rarely stands alone in daily speech. It mostly appears in compounds meaning a field of study, a hospital department, or an office section, such as 科学 (kēxué) science, 学科 (xuékē) subject, and 内科 (nèikē) internal medicine. Example: 我哥哥是科学家。(Wǒ gēge shì kēxuéjiā.) My older brother is a scientist.
科 is made of 禾 (grain) on the left and 斗 (a dipper, a measuring scoop) on the right. Picture someone measuring grain with a scoop and sorting it into grades, which is how you get the idea of dividing things into categories or branches.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 科 (kē) with 料 (liào, material), since both have 斗 on the right. Remember that 科 has 禾 (grain) on the left, while 料 has 米 (rice).
科 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.
科 kē · branch of study · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 科.
| 科学 | kēxué | science; scientific knowledge |
| 科学家 | kēxuéjiā | scientist |
| 科技 | kējì | science and technology |
| 本科 | běnkē | undergraduate course; undergraduate (attributive) |
| 内科 | nèikē | internal medicine; general medicine |
| 学科 | xuékē | subject; branch of learning |
| 外科 | wàikē | surgery (branch of medicine) |
| 高科技 | gāokējì | high tech; high technology |
| 科研 | kēyán | (scientific) research |
| 儿科 | érkē | pediatrics |
| 科幻 | kēhuàn | science fiction; abbr. for 科學幻想|科学幻想[ke1 xue2 huan4 xiang3] |
| 教科书 | jiàokēshū | textbook |
Questions about 科
What does 科 mean?
科 (kē) means "branch of study; administrative section" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 科?
科 is made of 1 character: 科 (9 strokes). That is 9 strokes in total.
Is 科 an HSK word?
Yes. 科 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say which hospital department I need with 科?
Hospital departments almost all end in 科, for example 内科 (nèikē) internal medicine, 外科 (wàikē) surgery, and 牙科 (yákē) dentistry. You can ask 我应该看哪个科? (Wǒ yīnggāi kàn nǎge kē?) Which department should I go to?
What is the difference between 科学 and 科技?
科学 (kēxué) means science as knowledge or a way of thinking, and it can also mean scientific or reasonable. 科技 (kējì) is short for science and technology and usually refers to practical tech and innovation, as in 科技公司 (kējì gōngsī) tech company.