渴
渴 (kě) means “thirsty”. It is made of 氵 + 曷 and has 12 strokes, and is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
Break 渴 into its parts
What 渴 is made of
- 氵 shuǐ — water
- 曷 hé — what
- 日 rì — sun; day
- 口 kǒu — mouth
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 日 rì — sun; day
Origin hint: 氵 gives the meaning, 曷 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
渴 stroke order
Example sentences
我很渴，想喝水。Wǒ hěn kě, xiǎng hē shuǐ.I'm very thirsty and want some water.
你渴不渴？Nǐ kě bù kě?Are you thirsty?
Words with 渴
Also built with 氵
- 汁zhījuice
- 汇huìto send (money)
- 汉hànHan
- 汗hànsweat
- 江jiāngriver
- 池chípool
- 污wūfilthy
- 汤tāngsoup
- 汰tàito eliminate
- 汹xiōngturbulent
- 汽qìsteam
- 沃wòto water
Quick facts
| Pinyin | kě |
|---|---|
| Meaning | thirsty |
| Strokes | 12 |
| Radical | 水 (water, #85) |
| Pattern | Left–right |
| HSK | HSK 3 (exam 2025) · HSK 1 (2021) · Old HSK 3 |
Questions about 渴
What does 渴 mean?
渴 (kě) means “thirsty”.
How many strokes does 渴 have?
渴 has 12 strokes.
What is the radical of 渴?
The radical of 渴 is 水 (shuǐ, “water”), Kangxi radical number 85.
What parts make up 渴?
渴 is made of 氵 (water) and 曷 (what).
Which HSK level is 渴?
渴 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 1 (2021) and Old HSK 3.
Learn 渴 with its group
It is part of HSK 1 (2021) · Group 11: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.