minute, carve
On'yomi (音読み)
- コク
- コ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- きざ.む
- きざ.み
- とき
About this kanji
The kanji 「刻」 primarily means a unit of time, such as a minute, but it also carries the meaning of to carve or engrave. It is frequently used as a noun, as seen in the compound 時刻 (じこく), which means "time" and refers to a specific moment. As a verb, it appears in 刻む (きざむ), meaning "to carve," which could refer to both physical carving and the act of defining something in detail. Another important compound is 刻印 (こくいん), meaning "seal," which indicates something that marks or verifies. Remember, while this kanji has various meanings, context will guide which interpretation to choose.
Built from
Example sentences
慎重に刻んでください。
Please carve carefully.
Meanings across languages
- English
- minute, carve
- Tiếng Việt
- phút, khắc, khắc ghi
- 日本語
- 刻む, 時
- 한국어
- 분, 조각하다
- 中文
- 分钟, 雕刻
- id
- menit, mengukir
- th
- นาที, แกะสลัก
- es
- minuto, esculpir
- fr
- minute, sculpter
- de
- Minute, meißeln
- pt
- minuto, esculpir
Common compounds
- 時刻じこくtime, hour
- 刻むきざむto carve, to engrave
- 刻印こくいんseal, stamp
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.