The character 刻 — “carve”: how to write it and what it means
carve; quarter hour
The Chinese character 刻 is read kè and means “carve; quarter hour”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 刻
刻 has 8 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 刻, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 刻 is made of
On the right, 刂 “knife”: carving, making notches.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 刻
- 立刻right awayHSK 5
- 时刻moment; constantlyHSK 5
- 深刻profound (impression, thought)HSK 5
- 片刻moment, a little whileHSK 6
- 此刻at this moment, nowHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 刻?
刻 has 8 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 刻 mean?
刻 means “carve; quarter hour”. It appears in 立刻 (“right away”), 时刻 (“moment”), 深刻 (“profound”), 片刻 (“moment”).
How do you pronounce 刻?
刻 is read kè. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 刻 have?
8 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 刻 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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