HSK 3.0 Level 3 · Connectives

可 kě “but” in Chinese

Same in Traditional

What 可 means

  1. but
  2. (adds emphasis) really, indeed
  3. (prefix) can
  4. may
  5. able to
More meanings from CC-CEDICT
  • -able
  • to approve
  • to permit
  • to suit
  • (particle used for emphasis) certainly
  • very

How to say 可

  • Pitch chart of the third tone: dips low then rises, 2 to 1 to 4 on the five-level scale可kě3rd tone, dipping

可 in a sentence

  1. 这个菜可好吃了！

    Zhè ge cài kě hǎochī le!

    This dish is really delicious!

    Sentence by WillyChina

  2. 我很想去，可我没有时间。

    Wǒ hěn xiǎng qù, kě wǒ méiyǒu shíjiān.

    I’d love to go, but I don’t have time.

    Sentence by WillyChina

How 可 is built

Each colour is one part of the character. Parts repeat across thousands of characters, so learning them makes new words easier. See all 214 in our radicals chart.

The character 可 (kě) with each of its parts in a different colour
可kěcan; may; able to; -able
  • 丁part of the characterMeaning part
  • 口mouth · kǒuSound part

Memory aidPicture a mouth 口 saying yes: can, may.

How to write 可

可 5 strokes

Watch the order, then press Try writing it and draw each stroke in the grid. Each stroke is checked as you go.

可 (kě) stroke order chart: each stroke of the character in the order you write it
Stroke order chart for 可 (kě). Red marks the next stroke, so you can copy it onto paper one step at a time.

Words related to 可

Words with 可

可以kěyǐ · can可能kěnéng · maybe可爱kě'ài · cute可怜kělián · pitiful可惜kěxī · it is a pity可是kěshì · but可靠kěkào · reliable可怕kěpà · awful可见kějiàn · it can clearly be seen (that this is the case)宁可nìngkě · preferably

More words: Connectives & Grammar Words

有关yǒuguān · to be related to子zi · (common noun suffix)以下yǐxià · below以上yǐshàng · above之间zhījiān · between者zhě · (suffix) person who …自zì · from性xìng · (suffix) -ness

FAQs

可 (kě) means “but” or “(adds emphasis) really, indeed”. It is an HSK 3.0 Level 3 word.
Say it kě: kě with a 3rd tone. Press Listen at the top of this page to hear it, or Slowly to hear each tone clearly.
Yes. 可 is written the same way in Simplified and Traditional characters.
Add a Chinese (Simplified) pinyin keyboard to your phone or computer, type ke with no tone marks or spaces, then choose 可 from the suggestions. Typing ke into this dictionary’s search box finds it too.
可 is an HSK 3.0 Level 3 word in the official 2021 syllabus, and it is on our HSK 3.0 Band 4 word list. It is not on the older HSK 2.0 word lists.

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Sources: meaning and pinyin checked by a native Mandarin teacher against the official HSK lists. Extra meanings from CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0). Example sentences written by WillyChina. Character parts and stroke order from Make Me a Hanzi.