刻

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quarter (hour); moment; to carve; to engrave; to cut; oppressive; classifier for short time intervals

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Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Phono-semantic compound (形声字)

刂 meaning “knife” + 亥 sound ( hài )

Components 亥刂

carve · Heisig RSH #1197

acorn + saber

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
无时无刻	wú shí wú kè	(idiom) (when followed by 不[bu4]) at no time; never (Note: 無時無刻不\|无时无刻不[wu2 shi2 wu2 ke4 bu…
高光时刻	gāo guāng shí kè	highlight; glorious moment
一时半刻	yī shí bàn kè	(idiom) a short time; a little while
刻意为之	kè yì wéi zhī	to make a conscious effort; to do something deliberately
一刻千金	yī kè qiān jīn	(idiom) time is gold; every minute is precious
光刻机	guāng kè jī	photolithography machine
刻骨相思	kè gǔ xiāng sī	deep-seated lovesickness (idiom)
刻意求工	kè yì qiú gōng	assiduous and painstaking
时刻表	shí kè biǎo	timetable; schedule
刻度盘	kè dù pán	dial (e.g. of a radio etc)
一刻	yī kè	a quarter of an hour; 15 minutes; a moment; an instant
刻日	kè rì	variant of 克日[ke4 ri4]
时刻	shí kè	time; juncture; moment; period of time; CL:個\|个[ge4],段[duan4]; constantly; always
时时刻刻	shí shí kè kè	at all times
石刻	shí kè	stone inscription; carved stone
光刻	guāng kè	photolithography
刻本	kè běn	block printed edition
刻板印象	kè bǎn yìn xiàng	stereotype
刻意	kè yì	intentionally; deliberately; purposely; painstakingly; meticulously
木刻	mù kè	woodcut

Characters sharing the sound component 亥 — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
亥 sound part	hài	12th terrestrial branch; used in transliterations
核	hé	core, kernel; nut, seed; atom
孩	hái	baby, child; children
该	gāi	should, ought to, must
骇	hài	to terrify, to shock, to frighten
咳	hāi	to cough
骸	hái	skeleton, body; leg bone
颏	kē	chin
赅	gāi	to include; to prepare for
劾	hé	to look into; to impeach, to charge
氦	hài	helium
垓	gāi	border, boundary, frontier
阂	hé	separated, blocked; to prevent, to block
胲	hǎi	hydroxylamine
陔	gāi	ledge, step, terrace; slope