可 (kě): can, may
可 (kě) is a Chinese character meaning “can, may.” Classified as HSK Level 1 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 丁 (semantic) and 口 (phonetic). It ranks #30 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 可 vigorous. Its radical form 口 (mouth) appears in many related characters such as 口 (kǒu, mouth), 叫 (jiào, to call, to be called), 右 (yòu, (bound form) right).
Definitions
- can, may
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 可 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 可
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 可以verb/adjective | kě yǐ | can | 1 |
| 可能adjective/noun/verb | kě néng | might (happen) | 2 |
| 可是conjunction | kě shì | but | 3 |
| 可爱adjective | kě ài | adorable | 3 |
| 可怜adjective/verb | kě lián | pitiful | 6 |
| 可怕adjective | kě pà | awful | 5 |
| 可惜adjective | kě xī | it is a pity | 4 |
| 可靠adjective | kě kào | reliable | 5 |
| 许可verb | xǔ kě | to allow | 6 |
| 认可verb | rèn kě | to approve | 6 |
| 可行adjective | kě xíng | feasible | 6 |
| 可口adjective | kě kǒu | tasty | 6 |
| 可见conjunction | kě jiàn | it can clearly be seen (that this is the case) | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 不可思议adjective | bù kě sī yì | (idiom) inconceivable |
| 可不interjection | kě bu | see 可不是 |
| 不可verb | bù kě | cannot |
| 可笑adjective | kě xiào | funny |
| 可能性noun | kě néng xìng | possibility |
| 可恶adjective | kě wù | repulsive |
| 可悲adjective | kě bēi | lamentable |
| 尽可能adverb | jǐn kě néng | as far as possible |
| 可疑adjective | kě yí | suspicious |
| 可卡因noun | kě kǎ yīn | cocaine (loanword) |
| 可乐adjective | kě lè | amusing |
| 无家可归 | wú jiā kě guī | (idiom) homeless |
| 宁可adverb | nìng kě | preferably |
| 可信adjective | kě xìn | trustworthy |
| 可耻adjective | kě chǐ | shameful |
可 appears in 131 compound words: 67 as the first character, 13 as the last, and 20 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 可 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (98)
Showing 12 of 98 idioms containing 可.
Example Sentences
这个方案可行，但需要进一步讨论细节问题。
Zhè gè fāng'àn kěxíng, dàn xūyào jìnyíbù tǎolùn xìjié wèntí.
This plan is feasible, but further discussion of details is needed.
米兰大教堂雕像 赞助修复便可有条件借展
mǐ lán dà jiào táng diāo xiàng zàn zhù xiū fù biàn kě yǒu tiáo jiàn jiè zhǎn
Statues of Milan Cathedral can be loaned conditionally if they sponsor the restoration
订单爆了!90后男生春节可赚16万元
dìng dān bào le ! 9 0 hòu nán shēng chūn jié kě zhuàn 1 6 wàn yuán
The order is exploding! Post-90s boys can earn 160,000 yuan during the Spring Festival
美国12月营建许可总数录得144.8万户,为202..
měi guó yuè yíng jiàn xǔ kě zǒng shǔ lù dé . mò hù , wéi . .
U.S. building permits totaled 1.448 million in December, up from 202...
...能·场外音|关尹:超越胜负的拥抱比金牌更可贵
. . . néng chǎng wài yīn guān 尹 chāo yuè shèng fù de yōng bào bǐ jīn pái gēng kě guì
...Beyond the Game | Guan Yin: An Embrace Transcending Victory Is More Precious Than Gold
在浙江,看完电影票根别扔!可以当钱用
zài zhè jiāng , kàn wán diàn yǐng piào gēn bié rēng ! kě yǐ dāng qián yòng
In Zhejiang, don't throw away your movie ticket stubs! They can be used as money.
我可以用支票付吗？
Wǒ kěyǐ yòng zhīpiào fù ma?
May I pay by check?
你怎么可能会说这种语言？
Nǐ zěnme kěnéng huì shuō zhèzhǒng yǔyán?
How come you're able to speak this language?
我们可以在大楼里拍照吗？
Wǒmen kěyǐ zài dàlóu lǐ pāizhào ma?
Is it all right to take pictures in this building?
你可以给我一些建议吗？
Nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ yīxiē jiànyì ma?
Can you give me some advice?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 可 (kě) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 可 and 扣?
How many strokes does 可 have?
What is the radical of 可?
What are the components of 可?
What are common words containing 可?
What characters sound the same as 可 (kě)?
Is 可 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 可 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.