What does 可 mean in Chinese?

可 (kě) means "can, may" in Chinese. The new HSK exam expects you to recognise it at HSK 1.

How do you write 可?

可 is written with 5 strokes, starting from the 口 (mouth) radical and following standard Chinese stroke order (top to bottom, left to right). See the interactive stroke-order tool for the full animation.

What is the radical of 可?

The radical of 可 is 口 (mouth, Kangxi radical #30). Other common HSK characters using the same radical include 告, 后, 名, 吃.

How many strokes does 可 have?

The Chinese character 可 has 5 strokes.

What HSK level is 可?

On the new HSK exam syllabus, 可 is a character to recognise at HSK 1 and to write by hand at HSK 2 (the handwriting list HSK 1 and 2 share).

可 (kě): Meaning, Stroke Order, Radical & Examples

可

kě

can, may

HSK 1 character 5 strokes Radical: 口 (mouth)

Quick Answer

可 (kě) means "can, may" with 5 strokes, radical 口 (mouth), HSK 1 on the new exam.

Full dictionary entry for 可 →Animated stroke-order for 可 →

Pronunciation

kě

Meaning

Primary: can

Other meanings:

Etymology

A nail in the mouth — something acceptable

Mnemonic hooks the visual decomposition to a memorable image. The full oracle-bone to modern evolution is being added character-by-character via the Phase 13 etymology pass.

Decomposition

可=丁component+口radical

Breaking a character into its components makes it far easier to recall. Each component above links to its own detail page.

Basic info

Pinyin	kě
Meanings	can, may
Stroke count	5 strokes
Radical	口 (#30: mouth)
New HSK exam	Recognise at HSK 1, write by hand at HSK 1-2
Frequency	#41 most common

Example sentences

可以进来吗？
Kěyǐ jìnlái ma?
May I come in?
From 可 (HSK 3)
可以进来。
Kěyǐ jìnlái.
You can come in.
From 可以 (HSK 1)
可能下雨。
Kěnéng xià yǔ.
It might rain.
From 可能 (HSK 2)

Words containing 可

Word	Pinyin	Meaning	HSK
可	kě	can, may	HSK 3
可以	kěyǐ	can	HSK 1
可能	kěnéng	possible	HSK 2
可爱	kě’ài	Lovely	HSK 3
可怜	kělián	Poor	HSK 6
可是	kěshì	however	HSK 3
可惜	kěxī	unfortunately	HSK 4
可见	kějiàn	so; it`s thus clear	HSK 5
可怕	kěpà	dreadful	HSK 5
宁可	nìngkě	would rather	HSK 7-9
可靠	kěkào	reliable	HSK 5
不可	bùkě	cannot, should not
不可避免	bùkěbìmiǎn	unavoidable, inevitable
不可多得	bùkěduōdé	hard to come by, rare
不可告人	bùkěgàorén	shameful, disgraceful
不可估量	bùkěgūliáng	inestimable, incalculable
不可开交	bùkěkāijiāo	be locked in a stalemate
不可抗拒	bùkěkàngjù	irresistible, overpowering
不可理喻	bùkělǐyù	unreasonable, impervious to reason
不可思议	bùkěsīyì	inconceivable, unimaginable	HSK 7-9

Related characters

Don't confuse with

何

可 (kě) ≠ 何

河

可 (kě) ≠ 河 (hé), river

Share the 口 (mouth) radical

告gào 后hòu 名míng 吃chī 口kǒu 和hé 号hào 听tīng

See all characters with the 口 radical →

Similar meaning (abstract)

不not 大big 公public 分to divide 对correct 定to decide 方direction 得to get

On the new HSK 1 exam

Studying for HSK 1? Keep 可 with the rest of your level.

HSK Lord schedules your reviews so each character comes back right before you would forget it. Free to start, and it picks up where you are.

Start studying free The words new HSK 1 adds

Frequently Asked Questions

Appears in these articles

Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.

可

kě