柯 (kē) — (bound form) branch (in literary or botanical compounds); (bound form) a surname
Definition
柯 (kē) is mostly a bound form: a literary/classical word for 'branch' (as in 枝柯) and a common surname (e.g. 柯先生). As a standalone it is rarely used except as the surname.
bound form
branch (in literary or botanical compounds)a surname
Easily confused
- 呵hēlook-aliketo exhale, to breathe out (especially onto a surface)
- 颗kēsound-alike(classifier) for small roundish objects such as pearls, grains, teeth, hearts, stars, satellites
- 何hélook-alike(interrogative pronoun in fixed expressions) how, what, why (in 为何, 如何, 何时, etc.)
- 科kēsound-alike(noun) subject, discipline, field of study
- 河hélook-alikeriver
- 棵kēsound-alike(classifier) for trees, cabbages, plants, and other growing vegetation
Examples
- 柯。kē Lǎo shī jiào wǒ men lì shǐ.Teacher Ke teaches us history.
- 柯。Zhè shǒu shī miáo xiě le shù mù de zhī kē.This poem describes the branches of trees.
- 柯。kē Xiān sheng shì wǒ de lín jū.Mr. Ke is my neighbor.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
柯 is built from 木 (tree) plus 可, a part that gives the character its sound.
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