坤 (kūn): female principle, ☷

坤 (kūn) is a Chinese character meaning “female principle.” Classified as HSK Level 7-9 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 土 (earth). It ranks #2814 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).

Native pronunciation

HSK 7-9 Radical: 土 earth8 strokesFrequency #2814

Definitions

female principle
☷

Stroke Order

Practice writing 坤 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
扭转乾坤	niǔ zhuǎn qián kūn	lit. to upend heaven and earth (idiom)
乾坤	qián kūn	yin and yang
巴里坤哈萨克自治县	bā lǐ kūn hā sà kè zì zhì xiàn	Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County in Hami 哈密市[Ha1 mi4 Shi4], Xinjiang
巴里坤草原	bā lǐ kūn cǎo yuán	Barkol grasslands near Hami in Xinjiang
巴里坤	bā lǐ kūn	Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County in Hami 哈密市[Ha1 mi4 Shi4], Xinjiang
巴里坤县	bā lǐ kūn xiàn	Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County in Hami 哈密市[Ha1 mi4 Shi4], Xinjiang
坤包	kūn bāo	woman's handbag or shoulder bag
旋乾转坤	xuán qián zhuǎn kūn	lit. overturning heaven and earth (idiom)
坤甸	kūn diàn	Pontianak city, capital of West Kalimantan, Indonesia

Total compounds

As first character

As last character

As middle character

坤 appears in 9 compound words: 22 as the first character, 44 as the last, and 33 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.

Idioms & Chengyu (1)

扭转干坤niǔzhuǎnqiánkūnHSK 6+

to bring about radical change in a situation; to reverse a course of events

phrase

Example Sentences

AI-Generated

春天到了，农民开始翻坤播种。

chūn tiān dào le , nóng mín kāi shǐ fān kūn bō zhǒng .

Spring has arrived, and farmers have begun plowing and sowing.

UdnnewsindexFeb 2026

赵坤茂/雪地大迷航惊觉科技依赖症

zhào kūn mào xuě dì dà mí háng jīng jué kē jì yī lài zhèng

Nownews今日新聞Feb 2026

台日交流赛/江坤宇秀6星级滑接美技!主播赞叹:这不是冬奥...

tái rì jiāo liú sài jiāng kūn yǔ xiù 6 xīng jí huá jiē měi jì ! zhǔ bō zàn tàn : zhè bù shì dōng ào . . .

UdnnewsindexFeb 2026

经典赛/秀出少棒时与“OH桑”的合照江坤宇换到亲签版本

jīng diǎn sài xiù chū shǎo bàng shí yǔ O H sāng de gě zhào jiāng kūn yǔ huàn dào qīn qiān bǎn běn

UdnnewsindexFeb 2026

经典赛/拿少棒时合照获签名江坤宇:王贞治是传奇激励后辈

jīng diǎn sài ná shǎo bàng shí gě zhào huò qiān míng jiāng kūn yǔ : wáng zhēn zhì shì chuán qí jī lì hòu bèi

UdnnewsindexFeb 2026

抢攻开学开工商机灿坤携手HP推出“交心日”祭万元抽奖与旧换新...

qiǎng gōng kāi xué kāi gōng shāng jī càn kūn xié shǒu H P tuī chū jiāo xīn rì jì wàn yuán chōu jiǎng yǔ jiù huàn xīn . . .

Character Family

Frequently Asked Questions

What does 坤 (kūn) mean in Chinese?

坤 (kūn) primarily means "female principle." It is classified as HSK Level 7-9, making it an expert-level character. It ranks #2814 in character frequency.

What's the difference between 坤 and 男?

坤 (kūn) and 男 (nán) are often confused. antonym. The key distinguishing feature: 坤 (female) vs 男 (male).

How many strokes does 坤 have?

坤 is written with 8 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 坤?

The radical associated with 坤 is 土 (earth). This radical appears in many characters related to earth.

What are common words containing 坤?

Common words with 坤 include: 扭转乾坤 (niǔ zhuǎn qián kūn, "lit. to upend heaven and earth (idiom)"); 乾坤 (qián kūn, "yin and yang"); 巴里坤哈萨克自治县 (bā lǐ kūn hā sà kè zì zhì xiàn, "Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County in Hami 哈密市[Ha1 mi4 Shi4], Xinjiang"); 巴里坤草原 (bā lǐ kūn cǎo yuán, "Barkol grasslands near Hami in Xinjiang"); 巴里坤 (bā lǐ kūn, "Barkol Kazakh Autonomous County in Hami 哈密市[Ha1 mi4 Shi4], Xinjiang"). There are over 9 compound words containing this character.

Is 坤 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?

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

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