叩 (kòu) is a Chinese character meaning “to knock (at a door)”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 卩 (kneeling person; seal (tally)), side by side, and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “to knock”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 卩
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 字形核验：现代字形 ⿰口卩，3+2=5 笔，与笔顺数据一致
Memory aid
A mouth (口) calling out, and a kneeling figure (卩) bent low beside it. You knock, you call, you bow — that is 叩.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 叩门kòu ménto knock at a door叩 = kòu
- 叩头kòu tóuto kowtow; to bow with the head touching the ground叩 = kòu
Go deeper
All readings
to knock
to knock (at a door); to bow low, to kowtow
敲，扣击；也指跪拜、磕头。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 叩门kòu ménto knock at a door叩 = kòu
- 叩头kòu tóuto kowtow; to bow with the head touching the ground叩 = kòu
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 叩 mean?
叩 (kòu) means to knock (at a door); to bow low, to kowtow.
How do you pronounce 叩?
It is pronounced kòu.
What parts is 叩 made of?
口 (mouth) and 卩 (kneeling person; seal (tally)), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 字形核验：现代字形 ⿰口卩，3+2=5 笔，与笔顺数据一致. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 叩 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 叩?
口. 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 叩?
Common ones are 叩门 and 叩头. The reading of 叩 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.