卡 (kǎ): to stop, to block, (computing) (coll.) slow
卡 (kǎ) is a Chinese character meaning “to stop.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 上 (structural) and 卜 (structural). It ranks #717 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 卡 a card squeezed between 上 and 下. Its radical form 卜 (divination) appears in many related characters such as 占 (zhàn, to observe), 卧 (wò, to lie), 卜 (bǔ, (bound form) to divine).
Definitions
- to stop
- to block
- (computing) (coll.) slow
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA card squeezed between 上 and 下
Decomposition: ⿱上卜 (layout: top-bottom)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 卡 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 卡
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 信用卡noun | xìn yòng kǎ | credit card | 3 |
| 卡片noun | kǎ piàn | card | 6 |
| 银行卡noun | yín háng kǎ | bank card | 3 |
| 打卡verb | dǎ kǎ | (of an employee) to clock on (or off) | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 卡车noun | kǎ chē | truck |
| 卡尔proper-noun | kǎ ěr | (name) Karl |
| 可卡因noun | kě kǎ yīn | cocaine (loanword) |
| 卡拉 | kǎ lā | karaoke |
| 奥斯卡proper-noun | ào sī kǎ | (film industry) Oscar (Academy Award) |
| 卡住verb | kǎ zhù | to jam |
| 卡特proper-noun | kǎ tè | (name) Carter |
| 卡通noun | kǎ tōng | cartoon (loanword) |
| 卢卡斯proper-noun | lú kǎ sī | Lucas (name) |
| 杰西卡proper-noun | jié xī kǎ | Jessica (name) |
| 卡斯特罗 | kǎ sī tè luó | Castro (name) |
| 卡门proper-noun | kǎ mén | Carmen (name) |
| 卡洛斯 | kǎ luò sī | Carlos (name) |
| 贺卡noun | hè kǎ | greeting card |
| 绿卡noun | lǜ kǎ | permanent residency permit (originally referred specifically to the US green card) |
卡 appears in 106 compound words: 49 as the first character, 48 as the last, and 3 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 卡 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (12)
Showing 10 of 12 idioms containing 卡.
Example Sentences
写好卡字需要掌握正确的笔画顺序。
xiě hǎo kǎ zì xū yāo zhǎng wò zhēng què de bǐ huà shùn xù .
To write characters well, one must master the correct stroke order.
...导弹护卫舰启程前往澳大利亚参加2026年卡卡杜多边海上联合军演
. . . dǎo dàn hù wèi jiàn qǐ chéng qián wǎng ào dà lì yà cān jiā 2 0 2 6 nián kǎ kǎ dù duō biān hǎi shàng lián gě jūn yǎn
... The missile frigate departed for Australia to participate in the 2026 Kakadu Multilateral Maritime Joint Military Exercise
Reddit 将商品卡片带入搜索结果,让社区推荐转化为实际购买...
R e d d i t jiāng shāng pǐn kǎ piàn dài rù sōu suǒ jié guǒ , ràng shè qū tuī jiàn zhuǎn huà wéi shí jì gòu mǎi . . .
Reddit brings product cards into search results, allowing community recommendations to turn into actual purchases...
英国奥斯卡|里安纳度“甜茶”大热倒灶 英国演员爆冷...
yīng guó ào sī kǎ lǐ ān nà dù tián chá dà rè dǎo zào yīng guó yǎn yuán bào lěng . . .
British Oscar|Leonardo's "sweet tea" is a hit, and the British actor is upset...
美国土安全部陷停摆...2快速通关计画喊卡 航空业忧:旅客沦政治足球
měi guó tǔ ān quán bù xiàn tíng bǎi . . . 2 kuài sù tōng guān jì huà hǎn kǎ háng kōng yè yōu : lǚ kè 沦 zhèng zhì zú qiú
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is in a standstill... 2 fast customs clearance plan shouts card aviation industry worries: passengers fall into political football
【有片】“曼联JJ”浮夸金球 卡域克被禁起用?
yǒu piàn 曼 lián J J fú kuā jīn qiú kǎ yù kè bèi jīn qǐ yòng ?
"Manchester United JJ" exaggerated golden ball Carrick was banned?
我在哪儿可以弄到电话卡？
Wǒ zài nǎr kěyǐ nòngdào diànhuàkǎ?
Where can I get a telephone card?
你钱或者信用卡带来没有？
Nǐ qián huòzhě xìnyòngkǎ dàilái méiyǒu?
Did you bring cash or your credit card with you?
你是刷卡还是付现金？
Nǐ shì shuā kǎ háishi fù xiànjīn?
Are you paying by card or cash?
那么硬卡怎么用呢？
Nàme yìng kǎ zěnme yòng ne?
So, how's the card used?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 卡 (kǎ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 卡 and 快?
How many strokes does 卡 have?
What is the radical of 卡?
What are the components of 卡?
What are common words containing 卡?
Is 卡 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 卡 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.