刻 kè — carve, engrave · English

刻

kè

carve, engrave

At a glance · 刻

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

小篆从刀亥声，形声字，本义为雕刻。隶楷作「刻」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「刻」本指镂刻，引申为时间、严格要求。

Structure

形声字，刀为意符，亥为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinkè

Radical刂

Strokes8

UnicodeU+523B

Character type形声

Theme动作

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English carve, engrave To carve or engrave; a quarter-hour.

Français graver Graver ou sculpter; un quart d'heure.

Español grabar Grabar o esculpir; un cuarto de hora.

العربية ينحت ينحت أو يزخرف؛ وحدة وقت.

Русский вырезать, гравировать Вырезать или гравировать; четверть часа.

Common words

时刻shí kèmoment
雕刻diāo kècarve

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