How to Write 刳 (kū) — Meaning “To hollow out / To scoop out.”

Picture a knife (刂) cutting into a large gourd (imagine 夸 as a big, empty shape) to scoop out its inside. The left part 夸 looks like a person with an open mouth, and the knife is carving out that mouth to make it hollow inside.

Pay attention to the balance: the left part 夸 is wider and taller, while the right knife radical 刂 is narrow and shorter. A common mistake is making the knife radical too long or the left part too compressed—keep the vertical line of 刂 straight and about half the height of 夸.

刳 (kū) means to hollow out or scoop, and uses the phonetic 夸 on the left. 刎 (wěn) means to cut the throat, with the left part 勿 (a noose or warning). 刑 (xíng) means punishment or torture, with the left part 开 (open). Visually, the left components are completely different, so focus on the top-left shapes to tell them apart.

刳 is rare in everyday speech but appears in classical or literary contexts, such as 刳木 (hollowing out wood to make a boat) and 刳心 (to examine one's heart sincerely). It is also found in set phrases like 刳肝沥胆 (to show utmost loyalty, literally 'cut open liver and pour out gall').

Common words containing 刳 include: 刳木 (kū mù) — To hollow out wood.; 刳心 (kū xīn) — To examine one's heart / To be deeply moved.; 刳剔 (kū tī) — To cut open and remove..