考 (kǎo) is a Chinese character meaning “to give or take an examination”. It is written from 耂 ("old" top form (老字头) — an elder with long hair leaning on a stick) and 丂 (obstructed breath (archaic); used as a sound component), one above the other, and takes 6 strokes.
Build the character for “to test; to think over”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
耂 + 丂
Top–bottom structure
- 耂 "old" top form (老字头) — an elder with long hair leaning on a stick · lǎo meaning
- 丂 obstructed breath (archaic); used as a sound component · kǎo sound
Structure from: Unicode U+8003; modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data stroke geometry (strokes 0-3 = 耂, strokes 4-5 = 丂)
Memory aid
The 耂 "old" top sits over 丂, a breath catching on its way out. An elder pauses, thinks it over — then sets you the test.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
6 strokes
In real words
- 考试kǎo shìexam; test; to take an exam考 = kǎo
- 思考sī kǎoto think over; to ponder; to reflect on考 = kǎo
- 考虑kǎo lǜto consider; to think over考 = kǎo
Go deeper
All readings
to test; to think over
to give or take an examination; to test; to examine closely; to think over
测验；检查知识或能力。也指仔细推究、考虑。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 考试kǎo shìexam; test; to take an exam考 = kǎo
- 思考sī kǎoto think over; to ponder; to reflect on考 = kǎo
- 考虑kǎo lǜto consider; to think over考 = kǎo
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 考 mean?
考 (kǎo) means to give or take an examination; to test; to examine closely; to think over.
How do you pronounce 考?
It is pronounced kǎo.
What parts is 考 made of?
耂 ("old" top form (老字头) — an elder with long hair leaning on a stick) and 丂 (obstructed breath (archaic); used as a sound component), one above the other. The recorded source is: Unicode U+8003; modern decomposition candidate checked against hanzi-writer-data stroke geometry (strokes 0-3 = 耂, strokes 4-5 = 丂). Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 考 have?
6. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 考?
老. 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 考?
Common ones are 考试 and 思考. The reading of 考 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.