Kanji N3

刻: engrave, cut fine, chop

刻 is a JLPT N3 kanji meaning engrave, cut fine, chop, written with 8 strokes. It is read コク (on) and きざむ, きざみ (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 6. You will see it in 深刻 (しんこく, serious) and 時刻 (じこく, time).

刻

Meanings

  • engrave
  • cut fine
  • chop
  • hash
  • mince
  • time
  • carving
Strokes8
JLPT levelN3
School gradeGrade 6
Frequency#866 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • コク

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • きざむ
  • きざみ

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

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Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

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Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 8. Start at the dot.

Common words with 刻

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 深刻しんこく

    serious; severe; grave; acute

    JLPT N3
  • 時刻じこく

    time; (the) hour

    JLPT N3
  • 遅刻ちこく

    lateness; tardiness; arriving late

    JLPT N3
  • 刻むきざむ

    to mince; to cut fine; to chop up; to hash

    JLPT N2
  • 彫刻ちょうこく

    carving; engraving; sculpture

    JLPT N2
  • 時刻表じこくひょう

    timetable; schedule

    JLPT N1
  • 刻こく

    period of time (usu. a period of approx. two hours corresponding to one of the signs of the Chinese zodiac)

  • 刻みきざみ

    mincing; cutting; chopping; notch; nick

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.