磕 (kē) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

磕

kē[ke1]Tone 1

to tap or knock

HSK 7

Multiple Readings (多音字):

Guru Deep Dive

English · to tap or knock

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:13

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left radical (石) compact and narrow, and leave ample breathing room for the right phonetic component (盍) so the character does not look lopsided.

1. Meaning

to tap, knock, or strike against something hard

to knock off (like mud from boots or ashes from a pipe)to kowtow (磕头)

VerbNeutral#physical action#impact#movement

Sample Usage

走路小心，别磕着头了。
zǒu lù xiǎo xīn, bié kē zhe tóu le.
Walk carefully, don't bump your head.
他把烟斗里的烟灰磕掉。
tā bǎ yān dǒu lǐ de yān huī kē diào.
He knocked the ashes out of his pipe.

2. Sound

/[kʰɤ⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

磕

kēke1

¯(55)

=kē

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "e" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Velar

Sounds like: k sound like in the English word 'kite'

Aspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: Strong gust of air from throat! Tissue held in front MUST fly forward.

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue raised against the soft palate, then released with a burst of air

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: rhymes with the neutral vowel sound in 'the' or the 'uh' in 'duh'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'uh'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Maintains a high, flat pitch across the entire syllable, similar to singing a single high note on 'Ah'.

👂

Listening trap: Do not confuse it with soft unaspirated initials; the 'k' here requires a sharp, forceful pop of air.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your hand level high in the air, moving in a flat horizontal line from left to right, matching the steady, high-pitched hum of Tone 1.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 13 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: Keep the left radical (石) compact and narrow, and leave ample breathing room for the right phonetic component (盍) so the character does not look lopsided.

4. Components

Radical 石 · Stone Radical (stone, rock, hard object)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 石 (indicates that the action involves hitting a hard surface (like stone))

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 盍 (original sound: hé / kē)

A hard stone (石) meets a covering lid or container shell (盍), resulting in a sharp knocking or tapping sound.

石 Stone / hard object
盍 Provides sound and suggests closing or capping

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

8· Phonetic Root: 盍 (hé)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the stone radical (石) denoting hardness and impact, and 盍 as the phonetic sound indicator representing a sudden meeting or clash.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referred to hard impacts or hitting objects together, later expanding to include tapping out ashes, knocking boots, and bowing (kowtowing) where the head knocks the ground.

The combination captures the onomatopoeic essence of a hard knock against a solid surface.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

You take a hard STONE (石) and tap it against a metal pot cover (盍) to KNOCK (kē) the dirt off.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

盍

hévariant of 盍[he2]Phonetic Core (声旁)

嗑

kèto crack (seeds) between one's teeth+ 口 (mouth)

溘

kèsuddenly+ 氵 (water)

瞌

kēused in 瞌睡[ke1 shui4]+ 目 (eye)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

棵(kē)

Has tree radical (木) instead of stone (石), used as a measure word for plants.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

走路不小心，我的膝盖[___]在了桌子角上。

Clue: kē

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing the stone radical (石) with the wood radical (木) when writing, turning it into 棵 (measure word for trees).

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 磕 mean and which radical gives it its hard physical meaning?

Production: How do you write the character for 'to knock or tap against something hard' (kē)?

磕kēto tap or knock

Speed:

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