Meaning of 肯
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to agree; to consent
- to be willing to
- old variant of 肯[ken3]
How to use 肯
肯 (kěn) is a modal verb placed before another verb to show willingness, and it often appears in the negative as 不肯 (bù kěn), meaning someone refuses. Example: 他不肯说。(Tā bù kěn shuō.) He is unwilling to say.
肯 (kěn) has 止 (zhǐ, stop) on top of 月, which here stands for flesh or body. Picture someone who stops and plants their body firmly in place, ready and willing to say yes.
Common mistake: Learners often use 肯 alone as a reply like "yes", but it normally needs a following verb, so say 他肯来 (tā kěn lái), not just 他肯. Also do not confuse 肯 with 背 (bèi, back), which has 北 on top instead of 止.
肯 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.
肯 kěn · to agree · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 肯.
| 肯定 | kěndìng | to be certain; to be positive; assuredly; definitely |
| 不肯 | bù kěn |
Questions about 肯
What does 肯 mean?
肯 (kěn) means "to agree; to consent; to be willing to" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 肯?
肯 is made of 1 character: 肯 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 肯 an HSK word?
Yes. 肯 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 肯 (kěn) and 愿意 (yuànyì)?
Both mean willing, but 愿意 is more neutral and common in everyday speech. 肯 often suggests agreeing after some reluctance, and it is especially common in negatives like 不肯 (bù kěn).
How does 肯 relate to 肯定 (kěndìng)?
肯定 (kěndìng) uses the sense of agreeing or affirming, and it means to be certain or definitely. For example, 他肯定会来 (tā kěndìng huì lái) means he will definitely come.