課 (kè) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

課

kè[ke4]Tone 4

lesson, course, class

HSK 1

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课

Guru Deep Dive

English · lesson, course, class

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:10

Writing Balance Rule: The left component (讠) should be narrower and slightly higher, while the right component (果) provides the main body and weight, ensuring the entire character feels stable and well-proportioned.

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 言 (speech) on the left was simplified into the radical 讠 (speech radical), while the right component 果 remained unchanged.

1. Meaning

class, lesson, course

subjectto levy or taxform of divination

Noun / ClassifierNeutral#education#school#time

Sample Usage

我们今天有汉语课。
wǒ men jīn tiān yǒu hàn yǔ kè.
We have a Chinese class today.
下课了。
xià kè le.
Class is over.

2. Sound

/[kʰɤ⁵¹]/Tone: 51

課

kèke4

`(51)

=kè

Initial Consonant

Type: Aspirated Velar

Sounds like: k sound as in '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 touches the soft palate, releasing a crisp burst of air.

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -e vowel group

Sounds like: eh sound as in 'duh' or the vowel in 'ago'

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

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

Tone

T4 (51)

5 → 1 (51)

4th Tone (High-Falling)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 4 starts high and plunges straight down, exactly like a sharp command or an emphatic 'No!' in English.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the 4th tone kè with the 1st tone kē or 3rd tone kě due to rapid speech in compound words like下课 (xiàkè).

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: A sharp, definitive chop downward with your hand, mirroring a stern teacher marking down a grade from top to bottom.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 10 strokes

Simplification Logic: The traditional component 言 (speech) on the left was simplified into the radical 讠 (speech radical), while the right component 果 remained unchanged.

4. Components

Radical 讠 · Speech radical (Words, speech, language, communication)

Semantic Clue (形旁): 讠 (Indicates that the character relates to language, teaching, or words spoken in a lesson.)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 果 (original sound: guǒ / kè similarity in old Chinese phonetic series)

A teacher uses speech (讠) to explain the fruit (果) of knowledge during a school lesson (课).

讠 Speech / Words
果 Fruit / Result

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

15· Phonetic Root: 果 (guǒ)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Combined from the speech radical (讠) representing instruction and communication, and 果 (guǒ) providing a phonetic hint and the imagery of harvesting results.

Semantic Evolution: Originally referring to tax assessment or checking results, it evolved to mean checking a student's progress, eventually becoming the standard word for 'lesson' or 'class'.

In ancient times, '课' could refer to assessing the productivity or tax yield of land.

6. Sinosphere

🇯🇵

Kanji (Japanese)

On: カ

🇰🇷

Hanja (Korean)

과

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

During Chinese **class** (**kè**), the teacher uses their **speech** (**讠**) to explain how to harvest the sweet **fruit** (**果**) of success.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

果

guǒfruitBase phonetic component without the speech radical.

颗

kēclassifier for small round objectsUses the speech radical (讠) + fruit (果), used for counting things shaped like fruits or seeds.

稞

kēhighland barleyUses grain radical (纟/禾) + fruit (果) referring to a crop.

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

颗(kē)

Both share 果, but 课 has the speech radical (讠) for classes/lessons, while 颗 has the same speech radical or sometimes people confuse it with grain/meat radicals in other contexts, but remember 课 is for school lessons.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

我明天早上有一個漢語[___]。

Clue: kè

Common Learner Pitfall

Forgetting the fourth tone and pronouncing it as a flat tone (kē) or mixing up the stroke order of the right-hand component 果.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does 课 mean and how is it pronounced with tones?

Production: How do you write the character for 'class' or 'lesson' using the speech radical?

課kèlesson, course, class

Speed:

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