Writing
开 (kāi) — how to say "to open" in Chinese
开
To open, to start; to drive (a car); to turn on
verb
Radicals / Keys
廾
Arch
#55 · gǒng · 3 strokes
Collocations
开电脑
kāi diànnǎo
to turn on the computer
开电视
kāi diànshì
to turn on the TV
Examples
今天我开车去北京，我很高兴。
Today I drive to Beijing, I am very happy.
我开门
I open the door.
Mnemonic
[kāi-] Kyle is getting ready to start his day. He opens the door 开 🚪, letting the sunlight flood in. First, he draws a horizontal line 一 on his planner, and then he plans to turn on the lights to wake up fully. With everything set, Kyle feels ready to 开 open up new possibilities!
Frequently asked questions
How to say open in Chinese?
"to open" in Chinese is 开 (kāi).
开 meaning in English
开 (kāi) means "To open, to start; to drive (a car); to turn on".
How is 开 pronounced?
It is pronounced kāi (written as kai). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "to open" in Chinese characters?
It is written 开 and has 4 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 开?
开 belongs to the HSK 1 vocabulary list.
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Grammar with 开
着 — ongoing state
Verb + 着 (zhe)
把 — how to use the 把 sentence
Subj. + 把 (bǎ) + Obj. + Verb
后来 — later, afterwards
Event 1，后来 (hòulái) Event 2
既然 — since… then…
既然 (jìrán)⋯⋯，就 (jiù)⋯⋯
正好 — just in time, coincidence
Subj. + 正好 (zhènghǎo) + Verb / Adj.
来 — “to” linking actions
Verb Phrase 1 + 来 (lái) + Verb Phrase 2