开 (kāi) · to open

开 (kāi) means “to open”. It is made of 一 + 廾 and has 4 strokes, and is an HSK 1 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

Break 开 into its parts

What 开 is made of

• 一 — horizontal stroke
• 廾 gǒng — two hands

Origin hint: Simplified form of 開; hands 廾 lifting the latch 一 of a door (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

开 stroke order

Example sentences

Words with 开

• 打开dǎkāito open
• 开车kāichēto drive
• 开会kāihuìto have a meeting
• 开玩笑kāiwánxiàoto joke
• 分开fēnkāito separate
• 开机kāijīto turn on (a phone, computer etc.)
• 开心kāixīnhappy
• 开学kāixuéschool starts
• 离开líkāito leave
• 走开zǒukāito go away
• 公开gōngkāipublic
• 解开jiěkāito untie
• 开发kāifāto develop
• 开放kāifàngto open (to the public)
• 开始kāishǐto begin
• 开业kāiyèto open for business
• 开展kāizhǎnto launch
• 推开tuīkāito push open
• 展开zhǎnkāito unfold
• 隔开gékāito separate
• 开花kāihuāto bloom
• 开水kāishuǐboiled water
• 拉开lākāito pull open
• 离不开líbukāican't do without
• 召开zhàokāito hold (a meeting)
• 开幕式kāimùshìopening ceremony
• 敞开chǎngkāito open wide
• 开采kāicǎito mine
• 开除kāichúto expel
• 开阔kāikuòopen
• 开朗kāilǎngcheerful
• 开明kāimíngopen-minded
• 开辟kāipìto open up
• 开拓kāituòto open up
• 开支kāizhīexpenses
• 盛开shèngkāito be in full bloom

Also built with 一

• 七qīseven
• 万wànten thousand
• 丈zhànggentleman
• 三sānthree
• 上shàngon
• 下xiàdown
• 不bùnot
• 与yǔand
• 专zhuānconcentrated
• 且qiěmoreover
• 丘qiūmound
• 丙bǐngthird

Quick facts

Questions about 开