可

kě

Pinyin
kě
Pinyin (Plain)
ke
Tone
3
Strokes
5
Radical
口
Readings
kěkeTone: 3(prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; howeverOrder: 0Primary
Stroke Order Code
Speed
Stroke Order Data
["M 686 704 Q 770 716 912 703 Q 937 700 943 710 Q 950 723 938 736 Q 907 764 861 784 Q 846 790 819 781 Q 728 760 493 731 Q 156 695 143 694 Q 136 695 129 694 Q 114 694 113 682 Q 112 669 132 654 Q 150 641 182 629 Q 194 625 212 634 Q 257 649 406 674 Q 478 686 620 699 L 686 704 Z", "M 293 536 Q 280 540 257 545 Q 244 549 241 543 Q 234 537 243 521 Q 270 463 285 367 Q 288 339 304 320 Q 322 298 327 313 Q 331 326 331 349 L 328 381 Q 313 477 311 505 C 309 531 309 531 293 536 Z", "M 498 406 Q 520 481 545 503 Q 570 531 545 549 Q 523 562 493 583 Q 472 596 430 572 Q 367 548 293 536 C 263 531 281 501 311 505 Q 320 506 331 508 Q 380 518 422 527 Q 450 533 457 521 Q 464 515 456 482 Q 449 448 439 409 C 432 380 489 377 498 406 Z", "M 331 349 Q 332 349 334 348 Q 344 345 359 349 Q 407 361 512 371 Q 524 372 524 382 Q 524 389 498 406 C 477 420 468 417 439 409 Q 378 391 328 381 C 299 375 302 357 331 349 Z", "M 578 106 Q 556 113 526 120 Q 513 124 512 116 Q 513 107 524 96 Q 591 35 634 -13 Q 647 -23 663 -6 Q 711 57 707 146 Q 695 464 708 641 Q 715 672 708 685 Q 702 694 686 704 C 663 723 613 728 620 699 Q 629 678 637 576 Q 637 435 635 154 Q 634 117 622 104 Q 609 97 578 106 Z"]
Meaning
“可” most often means “can / may” (showing ability or permission), and sometimes “worthy / okay” (as in “pretty good,” “passable”). It can also appear in fixed phrases without a strong standalone meaning, helping to express tone or emphasis.
Metadata
Locale: en
Cached At: 3/24/2026, 7:16:53 PM

Usage

The character **可 (kě)** is most commonly seen as part of useful everyday words rather than by itself. Learners first meet it in **可以 (kěyǐ, can / may)**, used to give or ask permission: *我可以进来吗？* “May I come in?” It also appears in **可能 (kěnéng, possibly / maybe)** and **可爱 (kě’ài, cute)**, where it adds a sense of “can / worthy / likeable.” In many compounds, 可 carries ideas like “may,” “can,” “possible,” or “worthy of,” helping to soften or qualify the meaning. On its own, 可 can function as an **adverb** meaning “indeed / really / quite,” often adding emphasis or contrast in spoken or written Chinese, e.g. *这可不容易* “This is really not easy.” It also appears in everyday intensifying phrases like **可怕 (kěpà, scary)** and **可靠 (kěkào, reliable)**. So for learners, “可” is most useful to recognize as (1) part of very common words related to ability, possibility, and evaluation, and (2) a small emphasis word in speech and writing.

Handwriting Notes

可 is a compact, roughly rectangular character that feels wider than it is tall in normal handwriting. It consists of a box-like left part and an open “mouth” on the right, so the whole shape is visually balanced and easy to spot in a line of text. The internal vertical line on the left tends to be written as a simple straight stroke, and the right-side 口 often looks slightly squarer or more compressed than in printed fonts. In everyday handwriting, people may write the left “hooked” corner more loosely, sometimes with a slight curve or a less pronounced angle, and the right 口 might be more open or slightly tilted, especially when written quickly. Proportions can shift—some writers make the left part narrower and the 口 larger, or compress everything into a tighter square—but the basic left-plus-口 structure remains clear. Modern AI handwriting recognition systems are trained to handle these small variations in shape, stroke connection, and proportion so they can reliably recognize 可 across different personal handwriting styles.

Description

“可” is a common character meaning “can, may” (to indicate possibility or permission) and “able to.” It also appears in many words such as 可以 (can, may), 可爱 (lovely), and 可能 (possible). As an adjective, it can mean “acceptable” or “OK” in some contexts.

Common Words

  • 可ke4used in 可汗[ke4 han2]
  • 可以ke3 yi3can
  • 可鄙ke3 bi3base
  • 可怕ke3 pa4awful
  • 可笑ke3 xiao4funny

Example Sentences

我喜欢可。

wo3 xi3 huan5 ke4

I like used in 可汗[ke4 han2].

可以很常见。

ke3 yi3 hen3 chang2 jian4

可以 is very common.

我们在学习可鄙。

wo3 men5 zai4 xue2 xi2 ke3 bi3

We are learning base.

这个可怕很重要。

zhe4 ge5 ke3 pa4 hen3 zhong4 yao4

This awful is important.

请写一下“可”。

qing3 xie3 yi1 xia4 ke4

Please write '可'.

Try writing this character