棵 (kē) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

kē measure word for trees 12 strokes · Radical 木 (tree) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)

👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 棵 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced kē.

measure word for trees

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

棵 — 12 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

棵 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

棵 =

木 left tree

果 right fruit

Radical

The radical of 棵 is 木 — meaning tree. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 标村术案棒材格林梦桥染森.

How the character is built

棵 is a phono-semantic compound. The semantic component 木 (tree) carries the meaning, while the phonetic component 果 originally indicated the sound.

HSK 4 Words Containing 棵

棵 kē (measure word: trees, plants)

院子里种了一棵大树。

Yuànzi lǐ zhòng le yì kē dà shù.

A big tree was planted in the yard.

FAQ

What does 棵 mean in Chinese?

棵 (kē) means measure word for trees. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 棵 have?

棵 is written in 12 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 棵?

The radical of 棵 is 木 (tree). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 标, 村, 术, 案, 棒.

What is the pinyin for 棵?

棵 is pronounced kē.

What HSK 4 words use 棵?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 棵 appears in 1 word, including 棵 (kē). See the full list above.