扣 (kòu): to fasten, to button, button
扣 (kòu) is a Chinese character meaning “to fasten.” Classified as HSK Level 5 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 扌 (semantic) and 口 (phonetic). It ranks #1614 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 扣 hand. Its radical form 扌 (hand) appears in many related characters such as 手 (shǒu, hand), 打 (dǎ, hit, make), 找 (zhǎo, to look for).
Definitions
- to fasten
- to button
- button
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 扣 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 扣
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 纽扣noun | niǔ kòu | button |
| 扣押verb | kòu yā | to detain |
| 扣子noun | kòu zi | button |
| 扣留verb | kòu liú | to detain sb |
| 不折不扣phrase | bù zhé bù kòu | a hundred percent |
| 扣除verb | kòu chú | to deduct |
| 扣篮noun | kòu lán | slam dunk |
| 回扣noun | huí kòu | brokerage |
| 钮扣 | niǔ kòu | variant of 紐扣|纽扣 |
| 打折扣verb | dǎ zhé kòu | to give a discount |
| 扣人心弦phrase | kòu rén xīn xián | to excite |
| 克扣verb | kè kòu | to wrongfully withhold part of what is due (to sb) |
| 扣杀verb | kòu shā | to smash a ball |
| 环环相扣phrase | huán huán xiāng kòu | closely linked with one another |
| 扣球verb | kòu qiú | to smash a ball |
扣 appears in 76 compound words: 45 as the first character, 49 as the last, and 7 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 扣 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (4)
one hundred percent; to the letter; unreservedly; fully; thoroughly; out and out; through and through
one hundred percent; to the letter; unreservedly; fully; thoroughly; out and out; through and through
Example Sentences
请扣出你的证件，配合我们的工作。
qǐng kòu chū nǐ de zhèng jiàn , pèi gě wǒ men de gōng zuò .
Please present your identification and cooperate with our investigation.
月子餐送餐上门多少钱?首单或团购有没有折扣活动
yuè zǐ cān sòng cān shàng mén duō shǎo qián ? shǒu dān huò tuán gòu yǒu méi yǒu zhé kòu huó dòng
How much does it cost to deliver confinement meals to your doorstep? Is there a discount for the first order or group purchase?
离岸风电3-3期选商机制将拍板 祭“扣分制”严审实绩
lí àn fēng diàn 3 3 qī xuǎn shāng jī zhì jiāng pāi bǎn jì kòu fēn zhì yán shěn shí jì
The offshore wind power phase 3-3 business selection mechanism will be decided to strictly review the actual performance of the "deduction point system"
水警夥海关大潭反走私 检值270万元私烟扣查一辆货车
shuǐ jǐng 夥 hǎi guān dà tán fǎn zǒu sī jiǎn zhí 2 7 0 wàn yuán sī yān kòu chá yī liàng huò chē
The water police and the customs Datam anti-smuggling seized a truck with a value of 2.7 million yuan of illicit cigarettes
独家》警破竹苗大麻农场 车行、废弃大楼扣870株新鲜大麻
dú jiā jǐng pò zhú miáo dà má nóng chǎng chē háng , fèi qì dà lóu kòu 8 7 0 zhū xīn xiān dà má
Exclusive" police break the bamboo seedling cannabis farm car dealership and abandoned building deducted 870 fresh cannabis plants
动物保健行业暂别高峰 信得科技估值大打折扣
dòng wù bǎo jiàn háng yè zàn bié gāo fēng xìn dé kē jì gū zhí dà dǎ zhé kòu
The animal health industry temporarily bid farewell to the peak, and the valuation of Xinde Technology was greatly reduced
用现金付的话会有折扣吗?
Yòng xiànjīn fù dehuà huì yǒu zhékòu ma?
Is there a discount if you pay in cash?
你可以给我折扣吗?
Nǐ kěyǐ gěi wǒ zhékòu ma?
Can you give me a discount?
你的第二颗钮扣快掉了。
Nǐ de dì'èr kē niǔ kòu kuài diào le.
Your second button is coming off.
萨米的包被警察扣押了。
Sàmǐ de bāo bèi jǐngchá kòuyā le.
Sami's bag was seized by police.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 扣 (kòu) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 扣 and 可?
How many strokes does 扣 have?
What is the radical of 扣?
What are the components of 扣?
What are common words containing 扣?
What characters sound the same as 扣 (kòu)?
Is 扣 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 扣 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.