How to Write 喀 (kā) — Meaning “(onomatopoeia) crack; cough”

Imagine a person coughing (口) while saying "ka" after hearing a loud crack from a broken object. The right part 客 (guest) can remind you of a guest who suddenly coughs or snaps a twig.

The left radical 口 should be small and placed high, while the right part 客 has 9 strokes. Pay special attention to the top of 客: write 宀 (roof) first, then 夂 (walk slowly) in the middle, and finally 口 at the bottom – do not make the bottom 口 too large.

喀 has the mouth radical 口 and means a sound, while 㕡 is a rare variant used in ancient texts and does not mean a sound. 哥 (gē) means "elder brother" and is made of two 可 (can) stacked – it has no 口 radical on the left and is not onomatopoeic.

喀 appears mainly in onomatopoeic words like 喀嚓 (a snapping sound) and in place names like 喀什 (Kashgar). It is also used in scientific terms such as 喀斯特 (karst topography). You will not find it in everyday conversation, but it is common in written descriptions of sounds and geography.

Common words containing 喀 include: 喀嚓 (kā chā) — (onomatopoeia) snap; click; 喀什 (kā shí) — Kashgar (city in Xinjiang); 喀斯特 (kā sī tè) — karst (topography).