堪 (kān): (bound form) may, can, (bound form) to endure, to bear, (in 堪輿|堪舆) heaven (contrasted with earth 輿|舆)
堪 (kān) is a Chinese character meaning “(bound form) may.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 土 (structural) and 甚 (structural). It ranks #1794 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 堪 one with a considerable amount 甚 of land 土. Its radical form 土 (earth) appears in many related characters such as 在 (zài, to exist), 地 (dì, earth, ground), 场 (chǎng, field, place).
Definitions
- (bound form) may
- can
- (bound form) to endure
- to bear
- (in 堪輿|堪舆) heaven (contrasted with earth 輿|舆)
Etymology & Origin
ideographicOne with a considerable amount 甚 of land 土
Decomposition: ⿰土甚 (layout: left-right)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 堪 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 难堪 | nán kān | hard to take |
| 不堪 | bù kān | cannot bear |
| 堪称 | kān chēng | can be rated as |
| 疲惫不堪 | pí bèi bù kān | exhausted |
| 不堪一击 | bù kān yī jī | (idiom) unable to withstand a single blow |
| 不堪设想 | bù kān shè xiǎng | too horrible to contemplate |
| 斯堪的纳维亚 | sī kān dì nà wéi yà | Scandinavia |
| 拥挤不堪 | yōng jǐ bù kān | overcrowded |
| 苦不堪言 | kǔ bù kān yán | to suffer unspeakable misery |
| 堪培拉 | kān péi lā | Canberra, capital of Australia |
| 堪忧 | kān yōu | worrying |
| 情何以堪 | qíng hé yǐ kān | how can this be endured! (idiom) |
| 不堪入目 | bù kān rù mù | unbearable to look at |
| 斯堪地纳维亚 | sī kān dì nà wéi yà | Scandinavia (Tw) |
| 不堪忍受 | bù kān rěn shòu | unbearable |
堪 appears in 26 compound words: 38 as the first character, 35 as the last, and 27 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 堪 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (9)
Example Sentences
堪生土长的他对这片土地充满感情。
kān shēng tǔ cháng de tā duì zhè piān tǔ dì chōng mǎn gǎn qíng .
Born and raised here, he feels a deep affection for this land.
木桥不堪负荷突断裂 秘鲁送葬队连棺木堕河 遗体遭...
mù qiáo bù kān fù hé tū duàn liè mì lǔ sòng zàng duì lián guān mù duò hé yí tǐ zāo . . .
Wooden bridge collapses under the weight; Peruvian funeral procession falls into river with coffin; remains...
...guan 纯电 SUV 路测图曝光:外观堪比换代
. . . g u a n chún diàn S U V lù cè tú pù guāng : wài guàn kān bǐ huàn dài
...Guan All-Electric SUV Road Test Photos Leaked: Exterior Design Rivaling a New Generation Model
...中医讲解8款常用祛湿汤料功效/配伍 1款堪称百搭|食材知识
. . . zhōng yī jiǎng jiě 8 kuǎn cháng yòng 祛 shī tāng liào gōng xiào pèi wǔ 1 kuǎn kān chèn bǎi dā shí cái zhī shí
...Traditional Chinese Medicine Explains the Benefits and Formulations of 8 Common Dampness-Eliminating Soups—One Is a Versatile All-Rounder | Ingredient Knowledge
头条:中国燃油出口禁令让澳洲担忧 堪培拉加强监管油价
tóu tiáo : zhōng guó rán yóu chū kǒu jīn lìng ràng ào zhōu dān yōu kān péi lā jiā qiáng jiān guǎn yóu jià
Headline: China's Fuel Export Ban Sparks Concerns in Australia; Canberra Tightens Oversight of Oil Prices
堪萨斯城联储称高通胀仍是关键问题
kān sà sī chéng lián chǔ chèn gāo tōng zhàng réng shì guān jiàn wèn tí
The Kansas City Fed says high inflation remains a key issue
堪萨斯州刚好位于美国的中央。
Kānsàsīzhōu gānghǎo wèiyú Měiguó de zhōngyāng.
Kansas is smack dab in the middle of the US.
她的演技堪比专业人士。
Tā de yǎnjì kān bǐ zhuānyèrénshì.
Her acting is on the level of a professional.
澳大利亚的首都是堪培拉，不是墨尔本。
àodàlìyà de shǒudū shì Kānpéilā, bù shì Mò'ěrběn.
The capital of Australia is Canberra, not Melbourne.
她的衣服破旧不堪。
Tā de yīfu pòjiù bù kān.
Her clothes are worn out.
Character Family
土 Radical Family — Characters sharing the earth radical
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 堪 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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