垦 (kěn) · to reclaim (wasteland); to bring under cultivation

Meanings

1 to reclaim (wasteland); to bring under cultivation

Characters

垦

kěn

to reclaim (wasteland)

Examples

HSK 6

这一带以前是垦区。

Zhè yídài yǐqián shì kěnqū.

This area used to be a state farm reclamation zone.

HSK 7-9

移民开垦了大片荒地。

Yímín kāikěn le dàpiàn huāngdì.

The settlers reclaimed a large area of wasteland.

Tips

usage

Usually bound: 开垦 (to open up wasteland), 垦荒 (to reclaim wild land), 垦殖 (to reclaim and cultivate). All are about turning untilled land into farmland.

Components

radical

土 tǔ

earth; soil

Bottom earth radical 土. Reclaiming land is working the soil, so 土 carries the meaning of 垦.

phonetic

艮 gèn

tough; the Gen trigram

Top 艮 supplies the sound (drifted to kěn). The same phonetic appears in 恳 (earnest) and 很 (very).

Stroke Order

垦 kěn

Related Words

开垦 kāikěn HSK 7-9 #38,989

to reclaim (wasteland); to cultivate / to open up (land for farming)

带来 dàilái #703

to bring / to bring about

控制 kòngzhì HSK 5 #592

to control; to dominate / to contain; to keep under control

降低 jiàngdī HSK 4 #5,042

to reduce / to lower / to bring down

垫 diàn HSK 7-9 #5,107

to pad / to cushion / to put something under / to advance (money)

后门 hòumén #4,259

back door / backdoor (connections; under-the-table dealings)

了结 liǎojié HSK 7-9 #4,200

to settle; to resolve; to bring to a close / to put an end to

复活 fùhuó HSK 7-9 #3,967

to resurrect; to come back to life / to revive; to bring back

抚养 fǔyǎng HSK 7-9 #3,795

to raise / to bring up / to foster

别提 biétí #3,541

don't even mention it / don't bring it up / (it's) beyond description