恳 (kěn): earnest
恳 (kěn) is a Chinese character meaning “earnest.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 艮 (phonetic) and 心 (semantic). It ranks #2209 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 恳 heart. Its radical form 忄 (heart) appears in many related characters such as 忙 (máng, busy), 快 (kuài, fast, happy), 怎 (zěn, how).
Definitions
- earnest
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 恳 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 恳求 | kěn qiú | to beg |
| 诚恳 | chéng kěn | sincere |
| 恳请 | kěn qǐng | to request earnestly |
| 勤勤恳恳 | qín qín kěn kěn | industrious and conscientious |
| 勤恳 | qín kěn | diligent and attentive |
| 恳切 | kěn qiè | earnest |
| 恳辞 | kěn cí | to decline with sincere thanks |
恳 appears in 7 compound words: 57 as the first character, 29 as the last, and 14 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 恳 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Example Sentences
恳请帮助，不胜感激。
Kěn qǐng bāngzhù, bù shèng gǎnjī.
Earnestly requesting help, deeply grateful.
关晓彤被爆破分手传闻“恳求鹿晗复合”?网传双顶流情侣转地下情
guān xiǎo 彤 bèi bào pò fēn shǒu chuán wén kěn qiú lù 晗 fù gě ? wǎng chuán shuāng dǐng liú qíng lǚ zhuǎn dì xià qíng
Guang Xiaotong Reportedly "Begs Lu Han to Get Back Together" Amid Breakup Rumors? Online Rumors Suggest the Two Top-Tier Celebrities Have Gone Underground
...福?萧美琴发福袋顺便“练深蹲” 网赞:诚恳就在细节里
. . . fú ? xiāo měi qín fā fú dài shùn biàn liàn shēn cún wǎng zàn chéng kěn jiù zài xì jié lǐ
...Fortune? Hsiao Mei-chin hands out red envelopes while "practicing squats" Netizens praise: Sincerity shines through in the details
你恳求与我谈话的原因是什么？
Nǐ kěnqiú yǔ wǒ tánhuà de yuányīn shì shénme?
What is your reason for soliciting a conversation with me?
尽管我恳切地要求，他们还是拒绝跟我说话。
Jǐnguǎn wǒ kěnqiè de yāoqiú, tāmen háishì jùjué gēn wǒ shuōhuà.
They refused to talk to me in spite of my earnest request.
他恳求我留下来。
Tā kěnqiú wǒ liúxià lái.
He begged me to stay.
Character Family
Homophones — Characters pronounced kěn
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 恳 (kěn) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 恳 and 根?
How many strokes does 恳 have?
What is the radical of 恳?
What are the components of 恳?
What are common words containing 恳?
What characters sound the same as 恳 (kěn)?
Is 恳 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 恳 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.