恳 (kěn) is a Chinese character meaning “sincere”. It is written from 艮 (gèn — Kangxi radical 138; the trigram for mountain, also "stubborn") and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other, and takes 10 strokes.
Build the character for “sincere; earnest”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
艮 + 心
Top–bottom structure
- 艮 gèn — Kangxi radical 138; the trigram for mountain, also "stubborn" · gèn simplified form
- 心 heart; mind · xīn meaning
Structure from: 繁体「懇」简化为「恳」（上部以「艮」代替）；现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（艮6 + 心4 = 10 笔）
Memory aid
A stubborn mountain (艮) presses down on the heart (心). To move someone that stubborn, you have to ask with your whole heart — sincerely, earnestly.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
10 strokes
In real words
- 诚恳chéng kěnsincere; earnest恳 = kěn
- 恳求kěn qiúto implore; to beg earnestly恳 = kěn
Go deeper
All readings
sincere; earnest
sincere; earnest; to request earnestly
真诚；诚心诚意地（请求）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 诚恳chéng kěnsincere; earnest恳 = kěn
- 恳求kěn qiúto implore; to beg earnestly恳 = kěn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 恳 mean?
恳 (kěn) means sincere; earnest; to request earnestly.
How do you pronounce 恳?
It is pronounced kěn.
What parts is 恳 made of?
艮 (gèn — Kangxi radical 138; the trigram for mountain, also "stubborn") and 心 (heart; mind), one above the other. The recorded source is: 繁体「懇」简化为「恳」（上部以「艮」代替）；现代字形按 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（艮6 + 心4 = 10 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 恳 have?
10. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 恳?
心. 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 恳?
Common ones are 诚恳 and 恳求. The reading of 恳 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.