Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons

刻: engrave, cut fine

Also: chop, hash, mince, time, carving

JLPT N38 strokesGrade 6Your ink: 白 Not met

刂 carries the meaning · 亥 gives the sound

8 strokes

Three readings, and the words that use each

コクkoku · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 刻印こくいんcarved seal
  • 刻一刻こくいっこくmoment by moment
  • 彫刻ちょうこくcarving, engraving, sculpture
  • 時刻じこくtime, moment
  • 定刻ていこくappointed time
  • 即刻そっこくimmediately, at once, instantly
  • 夕刻ゆうこくevening, evening hour
  • 深刻なしんこくなserious
  • 遅刻するちこくするbe late [v.i.]

きざむkizamu · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 刻むきざむmince, carve, chop up, hash

きざみkizami · kun'yomi

  • 小刻みにこきざみにbit by bit
  • 五分刻みにごふんきざみにevery 5 minutes

Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Slice through it! This "standing knife" radical is all about precision and force.”
More in the ⺉ knife story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
亥

Also built on sign of the hog (亥)

The 亥 family reads ガイ (gai); 刻 is read コク.

刂

Also built on knife (刂)

All 27

Also read コク

10 kanji share this on'yomi

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
刻 engrave · 刂
vs劾 censure · 力
刻 has 刂 where 劾 has 力.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · kè

Same form: 刻 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).

Simplified
刻 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
刻 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin kè most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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