咖 (kā) is a Chinese character meaning “sound-only syllable used to write loanwords”. It is written from 口 (mouth) and 加 (to add; to increase), side by side, and takes 8 strokes. It has a second reading, gā, which turns up in 咖喱 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “the kā in coffee (咖啡)”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
口 + 加
Left–right structure
Structure from: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰口加，3+5=8 画）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源
Memory aid
A mouth (口) with 加 "add" beside it. 咖 is a character built for the mouth, not for meaning: Chinese adds it to write a borrowed sound — the kā of 咖啡, coffee.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 咖啡kā fēicoffee咖 = kāHSK 3
Go deeper
All readings
the kā in 咖啡 (coffee)
sound-only syllable used to write loanwords; the kā of 咖啡, coffee
音译用字，本身没有独立意义，用于「咖啡」等外来词。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 咖啡kā fēicoffee咖 = kāHSK 3
the gā in 咖喱 (curry)
sound-only syllable used to write loanwords; the gā of 咖喱, curry
音译用字，用于「咖喱」，读 gā，不读 kā。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 咖喱gā lícurry咖 = gā
Sound component
加 family onset shift
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 咖 mean?
咖 (kā) means sound-only syllable used to write loanwords; the kā of 咖啡, coffee.
How do you pronounce 咖?
Its main reading is kā. It also has a second reading, gā, which only shows up in certain words such as 咖喱 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 咖 sometimes pronounced gā?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 咖喱 it is read gā.
What parts is 咖 made of?
口 (mouth) and 加 (to add; to increase), side by side. The recorded source is: 现代字形构形分析（笔画数据核验：⿰口加，3+5=8 画）；只描述今形，不追溯古字来源. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 咖 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 咖?
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 咖?
Common ones are 咖啡. The reading of 咖 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.