Definition
磕 (kē) means to deliberately knock or tap something against a hard surface, usually to break it (e.g., an egg) or to remove something (e.g., mud). It is more specific than 敲 (qiāo), which is a general 'knock, strike' (e.g., knock on a door), and different from 点 (diǎn), which means a light, quick tap without force. 捶 (chuí) is a heavier pounding with a fist or tool.
verb
to knockto tap (against sth hard)to knock off (mud, ashes, etc.)
Easily confused
- 可kěsound-alike(adverb) used for emphasis: really, certainly, very
- 克kèsound-alike(classifier) gram (unit of weight)
- 颗kēsound-alike(classifier) for small roundish objects such as pearls, grains, teeth, hearts, stars, satellites
- 课kèsound-alikeclass; lesson; subject; course
- 科kēsound-alike(noun) subject, discipline, field of study
- 棵kēsound-alike(classifier) for trees, cabbages, plants, and other growing vegetation
- 刻kèsound-alike(classifier) quarter (of an hour); a short moment
- 渴kěsound-alikethirsty
- 咳késound-aliketo cough
- 壳késound-alikeshell (of an egg, nut, animal, etc.)
Examples
- 磕。Tā bù xiǎoxīn bǎ tóu kē zài ménkuàng shàng le.He accidentally knocked his head on the door frame.
- 磕。Tā bǎ jīdàn zài wǎn biān kē kāi.She cracked the egg on the bowl edge.
- 磕。Tā yònglì kē diào xuēzi shàng de ní.He forcefully knocked the mud off his boots.
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