课 (kè) means "class" with HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: class
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
课 is a phono-semantic compound and does not appear in oracle bone script. The left component 言 (speech) provides the semantic field of verbal instruction and assessment, while 果 (fruit, result) on the right gives the phonetic reading kè and contributes the idea of a completed outcome. The structure literally suggests spoken assessment of results, which matches its early meaning.
Form evolution
Small seal script shows 言 on the left as a stacked mouth with sound lines, and 果 on the right as a tree 木 with a round fruit 田 on top. Clerical script regularised both components and established the left-right proportions still seen today. The simplified 课 reduces 言 to 讠 while leaving 果 unchanged, since 果 already has a minimal stroke count.
How the meaning evolved
The earliest meaning was to assess, examine, or tax, as in 课税 (to levy taxes) and 考课 (to evaluate official performance). From formal assessment it extended to the lessons and subjects that were being assessed, producing 功课 (schoolwork) and 课程 (curriculum). In modern Mandarin the dominant meaning is a class or lesson, with the taxation sense mostly confined to formal and bureaucratic vocabulary.
Cultural note
The imperial bureaucracy used 考课 as the formal term for evaluating officials' job performance, a practice already systematised in the Han dynasty. The modern school sense grew out of this assessment culture, so when you say 上课 (attend class) you are unknowingly echoing a two-thousand-year-old administrative vocabulary.
Basic info
| Pinyin | kè |
| Meanings | class |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #605 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 课
On the new HSK 1 exam
Studying for HSK 1? Keep 课 with the rest of your level.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.