Meaning of 课
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- subject
- course
- class
- lesson
- to levy
- tax
- form of divination
Measure word: 門|门
How to use 课
课 means a class, lesson, or course, and it appears in many everyday school words like 上课 (shàngkè), 下课 (xiàkè), and 课本 (kèběn). It is also a measure word for lessons in a textbook. Example: 我今天有三节课。(Wǒ jīntiān yǒu sān jié kè.) I have three classes today.
课 (kè) has the speech radical 讠 on the left and 果 (guǒ, fruit) on the right. Picture a teacher talking (讠) in class so students can harvest the fruit (果) of their lessons.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side as 里 or 早 instead of 果, or forget the 讠 radical and write just 果. Also keep the fourth tone kè, not kě as in 可.
课 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.
课 kè · subject · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 课.
| 上课 | shàngkè | to go to class; to attend class |
| 下课 | xiàkè | to finish class; to get out of class |
| 课本 | kèběn | textbook |
| 课文 | kèwén | text |
| 课堂 | kètáng | classroom (CL:間|间[jian1]); class session |
| 课程 | kèchéng | course; academic program |
| 功课 | gōngkè | homework; assignment |
| 课题 | kètí | task; problem |
| 讲课 | jiǎngkè | to give a lecture; to teach a class |
| 补课 | bǔkè | to make up missed lesson; to reschedule a class |
| 备课 | bèikè | (of a teacher) to do one's lesson preparation |
| 旷课 | kuàngkè | to play truant; to cut classes |
Questions about 课
What does 课 mean?
课 (kè) means "subject; course" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 课?
课 is made of 1 character: 课 (10 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 课 an HSK word?
Yes. 课 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 课 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 课 is written 課.
What is the difference between 课 and 课程?
课 is a single class or lesson, like one period on your timetable. 课程 (kèchéng) is a whole course or academic program, such as a semester-long subject or curriculum.
Which measure word goes with 课?
Use 节 (jié) or 堂 (táng) for class periods, as in 一节课 (yì jié kè), one class. For a lesson in a textbook, 课 itself works as the counter: 第五课 (dì wǔ kè), Lesson Five.