How to Write 柯 (kē) — Meaning “branch or stem”

Think of a "tree" (木) that has a branch shaped like the letter "K" — the right side 可 looks a bit like a capital K with a small hook. This helps you remember that 柯 means "branch" and is pronounced "kē" like the first sound in "K."

Write the left radical 木 first — horizontal stroke, vertical stroke, left-downward slash, right-downward flick. Then write the right side 可: horizontal, mouth box (vertical, horizontal, vertical), and finally the vertical hook. A common mistake is making the right side too wide; keep the 口 (mouth) narrow and the vertical hook straight.

柯 (kē) means "branch" and uses the phonetic 可 (kě). In contrast, 杆 (gān/gǎn) means "pole" or "rod" and has 干 (gān) as its phonetic; 杈 (chà) means "fork (of a tree)" and has 叉 (chā). Visually, the right side of 柯 contains a 可 with a vertical hook, while 杆 has a simple 干 and 杈 has a 叉 with a slanted stroke.

柯 is rarely used alone today; it appears mostly in transcribed names like 柯南 (Kē Nán, Conan) and 柯基犬 (kē jī quǎn, corgi dog). It also appears in the idiom 南柯一梦 (nán kē yī mèng), a Tang dynasty story about a dream in an ant kingdom, meaning a pipe dream or illusory fantasy.

Common words containing 柯 include: 柯南 (kē nán) — Conan; 柯基 (kē jī) — Corgi; 南柯一梦 (nán kē yī mèng) — a pipe dream.