楷 (kǎi): model, pattern, Chinese pistachio tree (Pistacia chinensis)

楷 (kǎi) is a Chinese character meaning “model.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 木 (structural) and 皆 (structural). It ranks #2929 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Etymologically derived, 楷 the script 木 used by commoners 皆. Its radical form 木 (tree) appears in many related characters such as 本 (běn, (bound form) root), 机 (jī, machine, opportunity), 条 (tiáo, strip).

Spoken pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 木 tree13 strokesFrequency #2929木 structural 皆 structural

Definitions

model
pattern
Chinese pistachio tree (Pistacia chinensis)

Etymology & Origin

楷

ideographicThe script 木 used by commoners 皆

Decomposition: ⿰木皆 (layout: left-right)

Components:木structural 皆structural

Stroke Order

Practice writing 楷 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.

Words & Compounds

Common Compounds

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
楷模noun	kǎi mó	model
正楷noun	zhèng kǎi	regular script (Chinese calligraphic style)
楷体noun	kǎi tǐ	regular script (Chinese calligraphic style)
李泽楷	lǐ zé kǎi	Richard Li (1966-), Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist
楷书noun	kǎi shū	regular script (Chinese calligraphic style)
楷字	kǎi zì	regular script (Chinese calligraphic style)

Total compounds

As first character

As last character

As middle character

楷 appears in 6 compound words: 67 as the first character, 33 as the last, and 0 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 楷 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.

灿càn

0.470118 co-occurrences

杨yáng

0.456794 co-occurrences

模mó

0.4531,858 co-occurrences

孟mèng

0.429173 co-occurrences

赵zhào

0.425456 co-occurrences

浓nóng

0.423162 co-occurrences

灼zhuó

0.41166 co-occurrences

洪hóng

0.384209 co-occurrences

李lǐ

0.3821,090 co-occurrences

吕lǚ

0.378162 co-occurrences

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

工人们正在砍伐病楷，防止虫害蔓延。

gōng rén men zhēng zài kǎn fá bìng jiē , fáng zhǐ chóng hài mán yán .

Workers are cutting down diseased trees to prevent the spread of pests.

UdnnewsindexMar 2026

洪孟楷质疑行政院延宕预算指TPASS等补助恐...

hóng mèng jiē zhì yí háng zhèng yuàn yán 宕 yù suàn zhǐ T P A S S děng bǔ zhù kǒng . . .

Hong Meng-kai questions the Executive Yuan's delay in approving the budget, noting that subsidies for TPASS and other programs may...

光明网_新闻视野、文化视角、思想深度、理论高度Mar 2026

浅谈楷书的“行书化”

qiǎn tán jiē shū de háng shū huà

A Brief Discussion on the "Cursive-Style Transformation" of Regular Script

中国新闻网_梳理天下新闻Mar 2026

赓续楷圣文脉全国书法名家邀请展系列活动启幕

赓 xù jiē shèng wén mài quán guó shū fǎ míng jiā yāo qǐng zhǎn xì liè huó dòng qǐ mù

Carrying Forward the Legacy of Calligraphy Masters: Series of Events for the National Invitational Exhibition of Renowned Calligraphers Kicks Off

Nownews今日新聞Mar 2026

否认争取中华职棒会长洪孟楷爆料:真正要抢的是“这人”

fǒu rèn zhēng qǔ zhōng huá zhí bàng huì cháng hóng mèng jiē bào liào : zhēn zhèng yāo qiǎng de shì zhè rén

Denies Seeking CPBL Presidency; Hong Mengkai Reveals: The Real Target Is "This Person"

LtnMar 2026

被控假乔事诈420万薛楷莉呛:前男友爱说谎“锁定单亲妈”

bèi kòng jiǎ qiáo shì zhà 4 2 0 wàn 薛 jiē lì qiàng : qián nán yǒu ài shuō huǎng suǒ dìng dān qīn mā

Accused of defrauding 4.2 million by impersonating someone else, Xue Kaili retorts: "My ex-boyfriend is a liar who targets single mothers"

Character Family

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 楷 (kǎi) mean in Chinese?

楷 (kǎi) primarily means "model." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #2929 in character frequency.

How many strokes does 楷 have?

楷 is written with 13 strokes. The correct stroke order matters for recognition and handwriting speed — practice with the animated guide above to build proper technique.

What is the radical of 楷?

The radical associated with 楷 is 木 (tree). This radical appears in many characters related to tree.

What are the components of 楷?

楷 is composed of: 木 (structural), 皆 (structural). Its IDS decomposition is ⿰木皆 with a left-right layout. Understanding the components helps with both memorization and recognizing related characters.

What are common words containing 楷?

Common words with 楷 include: 楷模 (kǎi mó, "model"); 正楷 (zhèng kǎi, "regular script (Chinese calligraphic style)"); 楷体 (kǎi tǐ, "regular script (Chinese calligraphic style)"); 李泽楷 (lǐ zé kǎi, "Richard Li (1966-), Hong Kong businessman and philanthropist"); 楷书 (kǎi shū, "regular script (Chinese calligraphic style)"). There are over 6 compound words containing this character.

What characters sound the same as 楷 (kǎi)?

Several characters share the pronunciation kǎi: 开 (to open (transitive or intransitive)), 凯 ((bound form) triumphal music), 慨 (to sigh (with emotion)). Context and tones help distinguish between them in speech and writing.

Is 楷 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

Yes, 楷 is written the same way in both simplified and traditional Chinese.

Practice writing 楷 with real-time feedback

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