How to Write 戡 (kān) — Meaning “To suppress; to quell; to put down.”

Think of the sound "kān" like "can" — imagine a soldier using a spear (戈) to "can" a rebellion, meaning to put it away forcefully. The picture of a spear pressing down on a riot can help you recall the meaning "to suppress."

The character is written left to right: first the left component 甚 (9 strokes), then the right component 戈 (4 strokes). A common mistake is to mix up the stroke order inside 甚 — remember to write the horizontal line first, then the vertical, and complete the inner parts before the bottom.

While all three contain the 戈 radical, 戡 has 甚 on the left, 戚 has 尗 (a different component) on the left and means "sadness" or "relative," and 戛 has a different top shape and means "to scrape." Focus on the left part: 甚 in 戡 is unique.

戡 is mostly used in formal or historical writing, especially in the word 戡乱 (kān luàn), meaning "to suppress a rebellion." You might see it in news reports about quelling unrest or in classical Chinese literature, but it is not common in everyday conversation.

Common words containing 戡 include: 戡乱 (kān luàn) — To suppress a rebellion; to quell an uprising.; 戡定 (kān dìng) — To suppress and pacify.; 戡平 (kān píng) — To put down (a revolt); to quell..