坎 (kǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “a pit or hollow in the ground”. It is written from 土 (earth; soil) and 欠 (to yawn; to owe; to lack), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “a pit in the ground; a hurdle”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
土 + 欠
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 坎，陷也。从土，欠聲
Memory aid
Earth (土) that is owed (欠): a scoop of ground is missing, so what is left is a pit. Both parts are really in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 坎坷kǎn kěbumpy; rough going; full of setbacks坎 = kǎnspoken askán kě
- 坎肩kǎn jiānsleeveless jacket; vest坎 = kǎn
Go deeper
All readings
pit; hollow
a pit or hollow in the ground; a low earthen ridge or threshold; by extension, a hurdle one has to get over
地面上凹陷的坑；也指像门槛一样的小土埂，引申为难过的关口。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 坎坷kǎn kěbumpy; rough going; full of setbacks坎 = kǎnspoken askán kě
- 坎肩kǎn jiānsleeveless jacket; vest坎 = kǎn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 坎 mean?
坎 (kǎn) means a pit or hollow in the ground; a low earthen ridge or threshold; by extension, a hurdle one has to get over.
How do you pronounce 坎?
It is pronounced kǎn.
What parts is 坎 made of?
土 (earth; soil) and 欠 (to yawn; to owe; to lack), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 坎，陷也。从土，欠聲. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 坎 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 坎?
土. 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 坎?
Common ones are 坎坷 and 坎肩. The reading of 坎 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.