Where 咖 comes from
mouth
- Meaning part
- 口 (“mouth”)
- Sound part
- 加 (“to add”)
How to write 咖 (kā, “coffee”)
咖 (kā), an HSK 2 character, means “coffee” and “type of person”. It is HSK 2 in the 2025 syllabus, down from level 3 in the 2021 standard. It pairs a meaning part, 口 (“mouth”), with a sound part, 加 (“to add”). It is part of the HSK word 咖啡 (“(loanword) coffee”), and of 大咖 (“major figure”) and 猫咖 (“cat café”). Japanese reads it ka, “coffee”.
- Pinyin
- kā
- Strokes
- 8
- HSK
- 2
- Radical
- 口 (“mouth”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
As a left-right character it splits into 口 (“mouth”, the radical), strokes 1–3; 加 (“to add”), strokes 4–8, written the left part first.
- leftdownwards
- leftrightwards → downwards
- leftrightwards
- leftrightwards → downwards
- topdownwards → down and left
- centerdownwards
- rightrightwards → downwards
- bottom rightrightwards
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| kā first tone | (bound form) coffee; café (abbr. for 咖啡 (kāfēi)); (Taiwan) (bound form) type of person (esp. in entertainment contexts) (loanword from "cast") (as in 大咖 (dàkā) and 怪咖 (guàikā)) | — | 咖啡 大咖 猫咖 咖位 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 2
- 2021 standard
- level 3
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 2 word
- Words with it
- 32 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 咖
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 咖啡 | kāfēi | (loanword) coffee HSK 2 |
| 大咖 | dàkā | major figure; celebrity |
| 猫咖 貓咖 | māokā | cat café |
| 咖位 | kāwèi | prestige; level of prominence |
| 网咖 網咖 | wǎngkā | Internet café |
| 跑咖 | pǎokā | (neologism) to go to a coffee shop |
| 咖啡因 | kāfēiyīn | caffeine (loanword) |
| 咖啡室 | kāfēishì | coffee shop |
| 咖啡师 咖啡師 | kāfēishī | barista |
| 咖啡店 | kāfēidiàn | café; coffee shop |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
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HSK 2, in list order: