刻
刻·engrave, carve, time
- On-yomi
- コク
- Kun-yomi
- きざむ
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Stroke order
Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.
Common words
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 時刻 | じこく | the time (a point in time) |
| 遅刻 | ちこく | being late |
| 刻む | きざむ | to carve, to chop finely |
| 深刻 | しんこく | serious, grave |
Example sentences
電車の時刻を調べておきます。
でんしゃのじこくをしらべておきます。
I'll look up the train times in advance.
寝坊して会議に遅刻しました。
ねぼうしてかいぎにちこくしました。
I overslept and was late for the meeting.
この町の水の問題は深刻になっている。
このまちのみずのもんだいはしんこくになっている。
The water problem in this town is becoming serious.
Similar-looking kanji
Do not confuse these on the exam.
- 刻刺刺 (to stab) also ends in the knife radical 刂, but its left side is 朿.
- 刻亥亥 is the left half of 刻 on its own.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up 時刻 (a point in time, e.g. 8:03) with 時間 (a length of time)
- Reading 遅刻 as *おそこく; it is ちこく
Memory aid
Picture it
A knife (刂) cutting notches into something — marks carved in, the way hours are marked off.
Vocabulary using this kanji
Quick check
1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 2 of 5
What does the kanji 刻 mean?