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可 . In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
可 , but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
可 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
可 you have here. The definition of the word
可 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
可 , as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Text style
Emoji style
🉑︎
🉑️
Text style is forced with ⟨︎⟩ and emoji style with ⟨️⟩.
Translingual
Stroke order
Stroke order
Han character
可 (Kangxi radical 30, 口 +2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 一弓口 (MNR ), four-corner 10620 , composition ⿹丁 口 )
Derived characters
何 , 呵 , 坷 , 妸 , 㞹 , 抲 , 河 , 阿 , 柯 , 炣 , 牁 , 牱 , 珂 , 胢 , 砢 , 袔 , 䋍 , 舸 , 蚵 , 訶 (诃 ), 跒 , 軻 (轲 ), 酠 , 鈳 (钶 ), 䯊 , 魺 (鲄 ), 鴚 , 䶗 (𮯙 )
𡥚 , 𪫧 , 𠳌 , 𢘟 , 𪰏 , 𣧤 , 𪽎 , 𥘫 , 𥎵 , 𥞍 , 𥩤 , 𠵲 , 𣍳 , 𧟫 , 𧵛 , 𩈔 , 𩊆
𠳊 , 𢎄 , 𢦪 , 𢼔 , 𨚩 , 𩑸 , 𪀉 . 㪃 , 㪼 , 㰤 , 㐓 , 哥 , 𪡑 , 𠶘 , 𠽚 , 𠾳 , 岢 , 苛 , 㱒 , 𤕒 , 𤔄 , 哿 , 笴 , 疴 , 㫊 , 閜 (𬮠 ), 㑸 , 𪽍 , 𣹇 , 𡘀 , 𪾌 , 𣄰 , 𧙃 , 𧙑
奇 , 𪜄 , 竒
Descendants
References
Kangxi Dictionary: page 172 , character 12
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3245
Dae Jaweon: page 383, character 7
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 567, character 7
Unihan data for U+53EF
Chinese
Glyph origin
Old Chinese
砢
*ɡ·raːlʔ
柯
*kaːl
菏
*kaːl, *ɡaːl
牁
*kaːl
滒
*kaːl
哥
*kaːl
歌
*kaːl
謌
*kaːl
鴚
*kaːl
哿
*kaːlʔ
舸
*kaːlʔ
笴
*kaːlʔ, *kaːnʔ
軻
*kʰaːl, *kʰaːlʔ, *kʰaːls
珂
*kʰaːl
可
*kʰaːlʔ
岢
*kʰaːlʔ
坷
*kʰaːlʔ, *kʰaːls
蚵
*kʰaːls, *ɡaːl
呵
*qʰaːl, *qʰaːls
訶
*qʰaːl
抲
*qʰaːl
荷
*qʰaːls, *ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ
何
*ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ
河
*ɡaːl
苛
*ɡaːl
魺
*ɡaːl
袔
*ɡaːls
阿
*qaːl
妸
*qaːl, *qaːlʔ
疴
*qaːl, *kʰraːls
鈳
*qaːl
娿
*qaːl, *qaːlʔ
痾
*qaːl
跒
*kʰraːlʔ
閜
*qʰraːlʔ
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声 , OC *kʰaːlʔ ) : semantic 口 + phonetic 丂 ( OC *kʰluːʔ) .
Etymology 1
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-kal ~ *s-gal ( “ back (lower); kidney; load; carry ” ) (STEDT). Cognate with 荷 (OC *qʰaːls, *ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ , “to carry”). See there for more.
Pronunciation
Note :
khó/khóⁿ - literary;
khóa - vernacular.
Baxter –Sagart system 1.1 (2014 )
Character
可
Reading #
1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)
kě
Middle Chinese
‹ khaX ›
Old Chinese
/*ʰˁaʔ/
English
may; acceptable
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:
* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;
* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character
可
Reading #
1/1
No.
7446
Phonetic component
可
Rime group
歌
Rime subdivision
1
Corresponding MC rime
可
Old Chinese
/*kʰaːlʔ/
Definitions
可
can ; may ; be able to
可 溶 ― kě róng ― soluble
可 大 可 小 ― kě dà kě xiǎo ― can be serious or minor
這 袋子 可 盛 五十 公斤 。 [MSC , trad. ] 这 袋子 可 盛 五十 公斤 。 [MSC , simp. ] Zhè dàizi kě shèng wǔshí gōngjīn. This bag can hold 50 kilos.
他 沒有 家 可 住 。/ 他 没有 家 可 住 。 ― Tā méiyǒu jiā kě zhù. ― He had no place to live.
to approve ; to permit
許可 / 许可 ― xǔkě ― to permit, to allow
認可 / 认可 ― rènkě ― to approve
to fit ; suit
可 心 ― kě xīn ― satisfying
可 口 ― kě kǒu ― tasty
to be worth doing
可 愛/ 可 爱 ― kě 'ài ― cute; adorable (literally, “worth loving”)
可 歌可 泣 ― kě gēkě qì ― epic; moving (literally, “worth praising and crying over”)
四川 可 玩 的 地方 太 多 了 。 [MSC , trad. and simp. ] Sìchuān kě wán de dìfang tài duō le. There are too many places in Sichuan worth visiting.
but ; however
Synonym: 可是 ( kěshì )
Particle used for emphasis.
( archaic ) Used in questions for emphasis.
您 一向 可 好 ? ― Nín yīxiàng kě hǎo? ― How have you been lately?
Used in rhetorical questions for emphasis.
Used in declarative sentences for emphasis.
我 喜歡 的 運動 可 多 了 。 [MSC , trad. ] 我 喜欢 的 运动 可 多 了 。 [MSC , simp. ] Wǒ xǐhuan de yùndòng kě duō le. There are many sports that I like.
我 可 不 太 知道 。 ― Wǒ kě bù tài zhīdào. ― I don't really know.
Used in exclamatory sentences for emphasis.
這 可 不行 啊 !/ 这 可 不行 啊 ! ― Zhè kě bùxíng a! ― But this won't do!
Used in imperative sentences for emphasis.
( literary ) about ; around
( literary ) to recover completely (from an illness )
Usage notes
When Mandarin speakers wish to imitate the sound of the dialectal pronunciation of 可 in written form, the character 闊 / 阔 (kuò ) is often used to substitute for 可 .
闊以 / 阔以 ― kuòyǐ ― imitates the sound of 可以 (kěyǐ ) in dialectal Chinese
闊落 / 阔落 ― kuòluò ― imitates the sound of 可樂 / 可乐 (kělè ) in dialectal Chinese
Compounds
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
Definitions
可
Only used in 可汗 (kèhán ).
Etymology 3
For pronunciation and definitions of 可 – see 嗬 (“(Cantonese) Sentence-final particle used in an interrogative seeking confirmation”). (This character is a variant form of 嗬 ).
Japanese
Kanji
可
(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji )
allow , permit
can ; be able to
Readings
Compounds
Compounds of 可
Common
Uncommon
Archaic / rare
Etymology
From Middle Chinese 可 (MC khaX ).
Noun
可( か ) • (ka )
C (academic letter grade); passable
allowed
再( さい ) 配( はい ) 布( ふ ) が可( か ) の画( が ) 像( ぞう ) saihaifu ga ka no gazō images whose redistribution is allowed
持( も ) ち込( こ ) み可( か ) mochikomi ka bringing in allowed
Suffix
可( か ) • (-ka )
permitted , allowed , licensed
-able ; can be done
Korean
Etymology 1
Hanja
可 (eumhun 옳을 가 ( oreul ga ) )
hanja form? of 가 ( “ possible ; allowed ” )
Etymology 2
Hanja
可 (eumhun 오랑캐 극 ( orangkae geuk ) )
hanja form? of 극 ( “ barbarian ” )
Vietnamese
Han character
可 : Hán Nôm readings: khả , khá , tài
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