克 (kè) is a Chinese character meaning “to overcome”. It is written from 古 (old; ancient) and 儿 (child; legs), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to overcome”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
古 + 儿
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：笔画 0–4 为「古」5 笔，笔画 5–6 为「儿」2 笔，合计 7 笔）
Memory aid
An ancient (古) weight sitting on top of a pair of legs (儿) — the legs still carry it and keep walking. That is what it means to overcome something.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 克服kè fúto overcome克 = kè
- 千克qiān kèkilogram克 = kè
- 伊拉克yī lā kèIraq克 = kè
Go deeper
All readings
to overcome; gram
to overcome; to subdue; to restrain; gram (unit of mass)
战胜、抑制；也用作质量单位「克」。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 克服kè fúto overcome克 = kè
- 千克qiān kèkilogram克 = kè
- 伊拉克yī lā kèIraq克 = kè
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 克 mean?
克 (kè) means to overcome; to subdue; to restrain; gram (unit of mass).
How do you pronounce 克?
It is pronounced kè.
What parts is 克 made of?
古 (old; ancient) and 儿 (child; legs), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画：笔画 0–4 为「古」5 笔，笔画 5–6 为「儿」2 笔，合计 7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 克 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 克?
儿. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 克?
Common ones are 克服 and 千克. The reading of 克 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.