可

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See also: 句
可 U+53EF, 可
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-53EF
← 叮
[U+53EE] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 台 →
[U+53F0]

🉑 U+1F251, 🉑
CIRCLED IDEOGRAPH ACCEPT
[unassigned: U+1F252–U+1F25F]
← 🉐
[U+1F250] 		Enclosed Ideographic Supplement 🉠 →
[U+1F260]

Translingual[edit]

Stroke order
5 strokes
Stroke order

Han character[edit]

可 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 一弓口 (MNR), four-corner 10620, composition ⿹丁口)

Derived characters[edit]

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

  • KangXi: page 172, character 12
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3245
  • Dae Jaweon: page 383, character 7
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 567, character 7
  • Unihan data for U+53EF

Chinese[edit]

simp. and trad.
 可

Glyph origin[edit]

Historical forms of the character 可
Shang Western Zhou Spring and Autumn Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Qin slip script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (可) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
砢 *ɡ·raːlʔ
柯 *kaːl
菏 *kaːl, *ɡaːl
牁 *kaːl
滒 *kaːl
哥 *kaːl
歌 *kaːl
謌 *kaːl
鴚 *kaːl
哿 *kaːlʔ
舸 *kaːlʔ
笴 *kaːlʔ, *kaːnʔ
軻 *kʰaːl, *kʰaːlʔ, *kʰaːls
珂 *kʰaːl
可 *kʰaːlʔ
岢 *kʰaːlʔ
坷 *kʰaːlʔ, *kʰaːls
蚵 *kʰaːls, *ɡaːl
呵 *qʰaːl, *qʰaːls
訶 *qʰaːl
抲 *qʰaːl
荷 *qʰaːls, *ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ
何 *ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ
河 *ɡaːl
苛 *ɡaːl
魺 *ɡaːl
袔 *ɡaːls
阿 *qaːl
妸 *qaːl, *qaːlʔ
疴 *qaːl, *kʰraːls
鈳 *qaːl
娿 *qaːl, *qaːlʔ
痾 *qaːl
跒 *kʰraːlʔ
閜 *qʰraːlʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *kʰaːlʔ): semantic 口 + phonetic 丂 (OC *kʰluːʔ).

Etymology 1[edit]

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-kal ~ *s-gal (“back (lower); kidney; load; carry”) (STEDT). Cognate with 荷 (OC *qʰaːls, *ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ, “to carry”). See there for more.

Pronunciation[edit]

Note:
  • khó/khóⁿ - literary;
  • khóa - vernacular.
  • Wu
    • Rime
    Character 可
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial (聲) 溪 (29)
    Final (韻) 歌 (94)
    Tone (調) Rising (X)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) I
    Fanqie 枯我切
    Baxter khaX
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/kʰɑX/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/kʰɑX/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/kʰɑX/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/kʰaX/
    Li
    Rong         		/kʰɑX/
    Wang
    Li         		/kʰɑX/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/kʰɑX/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		kě
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		ho2
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 可
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		kě
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ khaX ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*[k]ʰˁa[j]ʔ/
    English may; acceptable

    Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

    * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
    * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
    * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
    * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

    * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
    Zhengzhang system (2003)
    Character 可
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 7446
    Phonetic
    component         		可
    Rime
    group         		歌
    Rime
    subdivision         		1
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		可
    Old
    Chinese         		/*kʰaːlʔ/

    Definitions[edit]

    可

    1. can; may; be able to
      可溶  ―  kěróng  ―  soluble
      可大可小  ―  kě dà kě xiǎo  ―  can be serious or minor
      這袋子可盛五十公斤。 [MSC, trad.]
      这袋子可盛五十公斤。 [MSC, simp.]
      Zhè dàizi kě shèng wǔshí gōngjīn. [Pinyin]
      This bag can hold 50 kilos.
      他沒有家可住。／他没有家可住。  ―  Tā méiyǒu jiā kě zhù.  ―  He had no place to live.
    2. to approve; to permit
      許可／许可  ―  xǔkě  ―  to permit, to allow
      認可／认可  ―  rènkě  ―  to approve
    3. to fit; suit
      可心  ―  kěxīn  ―  satisfying
      可口  ―  kěkǒu  ―  tasty
    4. to be worth doing
      可愛／可爱  ―  kě'ài  ―  cute; adorable (literally, “worth loving”)
      可歌可泣  ―  kěgēkěqì  ―  epic; moving (literally, “worth praising and crying over”)
      四川可玩的地方太多了。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]
      Sìchuān kě wán de dìfang tài duō le. [Pinyin]
      There are too many places in Sichuan worth visiting.
    5. but; however
      Synonym: 可是 (kěshì)
    6. Particle used for emphasis.
      1. (archaic) Used in questions for emphasis.
        您一向可好？  ―  Nín yīxiàng kě hǎo?  ―  How have you been lately?
      2. Used in rhetorical questions for emphasis.
      3. Used in declarative sentences for emphasis.
        我喜歡的運動可多了。 [MSC, trad.]
        我喜欢的运动可多了。 [MSC, simp.]
        Wǒ xǐhuan de yùndòng kě duō le. [Pinyin]
        There are many sports that I like.
        我可不太知道。  ―  Wǒ kě bù tài zhīdào.  ―  I don't really know.
      4. Used in exclamatory sentences for emphasis.
        這可不行啊！／这可不行啊！  ―  Zhè kě bùxíng a!  ―  But this won't do!
      5. Used in imperative sentences for emphasis.
    7. (literary) about; around
    8. (literary) to recover completely (from an illness)
    Usage notes[edit]

    When Mandarin speakers wish to imitate the sound of the dialectal pronunciation of 可 in written form, the character 闊／阔 (kuò) is often used to substitute for 可.

    闊以／阔以  ―  kuòyǐ  ―  imitates the sound of 可以 (kěyǐ) in dialectal Chinese
    闊落／阔落  ―  kuòluò  ―  imitates the sound of 可樂／可乐 (kělè) in dialectal Chinese

    Compounds[edit]

    Derived terms from 可

    Etymology 2[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Definitions[edit]

    可

    1. Only used in 可汗 (kèhán).

    Etymology 3[edit]

    For pronunciation and definitions of 可 – see 嗬 (“(Cantonese) Sentence-final particle used in an interrogative seeking confirmation”).
    (This character, 可, is a variant form of 嗬.)

    Japanese[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    可

    (grade 5 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    Readings[edit]

    Compounds[edit]

    Compounds of 可
    Common
    Uncommon
    Archaic / rare

    Etymology[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    可
    か
    Grade: 5
    on’yomi

    From Middle Chinese 可 (MC kʰɑX).

    Noun[edit]

    可(か) • (ka) 

    1. passable
    2. allowed
      再(さい)配(はい)布(ふ)が可(か)の画(が)像(ぞう)[1]
      saihaifu ga ka no gazō
      images whose redistribution is allowed
      持(も)ち込(こ)み可(か)
      mochikomi ka
      bringing in [something: notes to a test, etc.] allowed

    Suffix[edit]

    可(か) • (-ka) 

    1. permitted, allowed, licensed

    Korean[edit]

    Etymology 1[edit]

    Hanja[edit]

    可 (eumhun 옳을 가 (oreul ga))

    1. Hanja form? of 가 (“possible; allowed”).

    Etymology 2[edit]

    Hanja[edit]

    可 (eumhun 오랑캐 극 (orangkae geuk))

    1. Hanja form? of 극 (“barbarian”).

    Vietnamese[edit]

    Han character[edit]

    可: Hán Nôm readings: khả, khá, tài

    1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
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