DICTIONARY · CC-CEDICT

開

简开 · 繁開

Mandarin · pinyin kāi

to open (transitive or intransitive)
(of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start
to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run
to boil
to write out (a prescription, check, invoice etc)
(directional complement) away; off
carat (gold)
abbr. for Kelvin, 開爾文 Kāi ěr wén
abbr. for 開本 kāi běn, book format

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Characters in this entry

開: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start
开: kāi · open; initiate, begin, start

Written characters and their own readings; the entry’s pronunciation is shown above.

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Mandarin tones

1 · kai1

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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.

開 · find source passages ↗ · 开 · find source passages ↗

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Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 31 senses · 1 Cantonese reading

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

hoi1

Cantonese word readings for 開. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

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Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

to open; to unlatch; to unfasten
to start; to turn on; to switch on
to make an opening; to open up
(of a flower) to open out; to bloom
(of a frozen river) to thaw
to split; to divide; to cut
to begin; to start
to start; to set up; to open
to remove (a ban or restriction)
to boil (bubble and turn to vapour)
to write out (a prescription, check, invoice, etc.)
to book (a hotel room)
to operate/run a business
to hold (a meeting, exhibition, etc.)
to pay
to operate; to drive (a vehicle)
(Cantonese) to make a liquid mixture
apart; away
(informal) short for 開除／开除 (kāichú, “to fire; to sack; to discharge; to dismiss”)
(informal) to eat up
(Cantonese, archaic) Progressive aspect particle, used to express that an event is/was in progress.
(Cantonese) Inceptive and continuous aspect particle, used to express that an event has started and continues on for a while.
(Cantonese) Habitual aspect particle.
(Cantonese) Converbal aspect particle used to express a condition or rationale.
(Chinese phonetics) short for 開口／开口 (kāikǒu, “open-mouthed”)
(Hokkien) to spend (money)
(Hokkien) to visit prostitutes
a surname

character · Etymology 2

karat (measure of gold purity)

character · Etymology 3

(physics) short for 開爾文／开尔文 (kāi'ěrwén, “kelvin”)

character · Etymology 4

(dialectal Cantonese, dialectal Hakka) Perfective aspect particle.

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

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