HanziGuru.渴 · kě
渴
kě[ke3]Tone 3

thirsty

HSK 1
Guru Deep Dive

English · thirsty

Cached lesson
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Topology:Left-right
Strokes:12
Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (氵) occupies about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (曷) two-thirds of the space, ensuring they harmonize without crowding.
1. Meaning

thirsty

to cravedry
AdjectiveNeutral#physical sensation#needs#body
Sample Usage
  • 我很渴，想喝水。
    Wǒ hěn kě, xiǎng hē shuǐ.
    I am very thirsty and want to drink water.
  • 口渴的时候，矿泉水最好喝。
    Kǒu kě de shíhòu, kuàngquánshuǐ zuì hǎohē.
    When one is thirsty, mineral water tastes best.
2. Sound
/[kʰɤ²¹⁴]/Tone: 214
渴
kěke3
++
ˇ(214)
=kě
Initial Consonant
k
Type: Aspirated Velar
Sounds like: k sound as in 'key' or 'cat'
Aspirated
Airflow Tactile Test: Strong gust of air from throat! Tissue held in front MUST fly forward.
Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue touches the soft palate, releasing a strong puff of air.
Final Rhyme
e
Vowel Group: -e vowel group
Sounds like: rhymes with 'uh' in 'duh' with a dipping tone
Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.
Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.
Tone
T3 (214)
3rd Tone (Low-Dipping)
Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 3 dips down and rises back up, similar to saying 'Really?' in English to express surprise or inquiry.
Sandhi: When followed by another 3rd tone syllable, kě changes to a 2nd tone (rising 35) in rapid speech.
👂
Listening trap: Confusing the neutral vowel 'e' (-ê) with 'a' or 'i', leading to incorrect finals.
👋
Physical Tone Gesture: Trace a checkmark in the air: start medium-high, dip down low to your chest, and sweep back up high.
3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 12 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left radical (氵) occupies about one-third of the width, leaving the right component (曷) two-thirds of the space, ensuring they harmonize without crowding.

4. Components

Radical 氵 · Water Radical (water, liquid)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 氵 (indicates the meaning relates to water or lack thereof)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 曷 (original sound: hé)

The water radical (氵) placed next to the phonetic component 曷 (hé) creates the sense of water running out, leaving you thirsty.

  • 氵 water element on the left
  • 曷 phonetic clue and component on the right meaning 'all' or 'exhausted'
5. History
Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the water sign (氵) to signify body fluids and the phonetic element 曷 (hé), indicating an exhausted state or lack of liquid.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring to the drying up or exhaustion of water, it naturally shifted to describe the physical sensation of humans needing water: being thirsty.

  • The right side 曷 historically doubled as an interrogative word in classical Chinese, but here it contributes its sound and the nuance of depletion.
6. Sinosphere
🇯🇵
Kanji (Japanese)
On: カツ / Kun: かわ.く
🇰🇷
Hanja (Korean)
갈
7. Memory
Vivid Mnemonic Story

When your water (氵) supply is completely finished (曷), your throat gets bone dry and you feel extremely THIRSTY (渴).

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)
揭
jiēto lift, to uncoverReplaces water radical with hand radical (扌).
褐
hèbrown, dark fabricReplaces water radical with clothing radical (衤).
歇
xiēto rest, to take a breakReplaces water radical with mouth radical (欠).
Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)
喝(hē)
喝 means 'to drink' and uses the mouth radical (口), whereas 渴 means 'thirsty' and uses the water radical (氵).
8. Mastery
Active Recall Challenge
走了两个小时的路，我现在觉得很[___]。
Clue: kě
Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing 渴 (kě - thirsty, with water radical 氵) with 喝 (hē - to drink, with mouth radical 口). Remember: you need water (氵) when you are thirsty (渴), and you use your mouth (口) to drink (喝).

Memory Prompts
Recognition: When you see the character 渴 with a water radical on the left and 曷 on the right, what does it mean and how is it pronounced?
Production: How do you write the Chinese character for 'thirsty' (kě), and which radical does it start with?
Real-World Video Context

Watch authentic native speakers pronounce and explain this word in real-world YouTube videos.

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