DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT
咖
Characters in this entry
- 咖
- kā · coffee; a phonetic
Explore the spelling
Mandarin tones
1 · ga1
Compare attested words with these syllables ↗Dictionary tones. Connected speech can change their realization.
Connected dictionary
1character link9same-tone records1source reference
Counts describe dictionary records, not word frequency or semantic similarity. Source identities stay separate.Read this spelling in Classical texts
Follow a written form into the eight pinned witnesses: Analects, Mencius, Laozi, Zhuangzi, Xunzi, Han Feizi, Sunzi and the Mao Shijing. A match is a place to investigate; it does not prove that a modern dictionary sense fits the passage.
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 5 senses · 2 Cantonese readings
Rime Cantonese 粵拼
gaa3 · kaa1
Cantonese word readings for 咖. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.
CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack
Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section
Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.
character · Etymology 1
- only used in 咖啡 (kāfēi); also used as its short form
character · Etymology 2
- only used in 咖喱 (gālí) and 咖哩 (kālǐ)
character · Etymology 3
- (chiefly Taiwan, slang) character; role
character · Etymology 4
- only used in 咖咖
character · Etymology 5
- The meaning of this term is uncertain.
Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack