ENESFRDE中文

Characters, words, pinyin or English

磕 kē to collide

to collide; to hit; to knock; to tap

How to remember 磕: 石 stone + 盍 lidded dish = to collide. Two waiters hurry past the stone fountain, each with a hot lidded dish, and take the same corner at full speed, only to collide.

  • HSK 8
  • 15 strokes
  • Radical 石

Component breakdown

磕 = 石 stone + 盍 lidded dish

  • 石 stone
  • 盍 lidded dish
The Gushi story

Two waiters hurry past the stone fountain, each with a hot lidded dish, and take the same corner at full speed, only to collide.

How it is used

  • To knock/bump against - 磕头 (kētóu) to kowtow (bow forehead to floor), 磕碰 (kēpèng) to bump/knock (and figuratively minor friction), 磕瓜子 (kē guāzǐ) to crack melon seeds with the teeth.
  • 磕磕绊绊 (kēkē-bànbàn) means stumbling along / full of small setbacks. Colloquially 磕 (as in 磕CP) = to ship a couple.