垦

墾

kěn

土 + 艮

Definitions

kěn (verb) to reclaim (land); to cultivate

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 土 represents the meaning and 艮 represents the sound. Simplified form of 墾.

Semantic: 土 Phonetic: 艮

About

垦, the simplified form of 墾, is a phono-semantic compound: the bottom radical 土 signifies 'earth' or 'land', while the top component 艮 indicates the sound. The traditional character used the phonetic 貇 (a combination of 豸 and 艮), later simplified to just 艮. The character means to reclaim uncultivated land for farming, turning wild soil into arable fields through labor, a meaning naturally reflected by the earth radical.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

农民开垦荒地。

Nóngmín kāikěn huāngdì.

Farmers reclaim wasteland.

这片土地被开垦了。

Zhè piàn tǔdì bèi kāikěn le.

This land has been cultivated.

政府鼓励开垦农田。

Zhèngfǔ gǔlì kāikěn nóngtián.

The government encourages the cultivation of farmland.

垦荒需要付出很多努力。

Kěnhuāng xūyào fùchū hěnduǒ nǔlì.

Reclaiming wasteland requires a lot of effort.

他们计划开垦这片山区。

Tāmen jìhuà kāikěn zhè piàn shānqū.

They plan to cultivate this mountainous area.

经过多年的开垦，这里变成了良田。

Jīngguò duōnián de kāikěn, zhèlǐ biàn chéngle liángtián.

After years of cultivation, this place has become fertile farmland.

垦殖活动对环境有影响。

Kěnzhí huódòng duì huánjìng yǒu yǐngxiǎng.

Reclamation activities have an impact on the environment.

在干旱地区开垦土地需要先进的技术。

Zài gānhàn dìqū kāikěn tǔdì xūyào xiānjìn de jìshù.

Cultivating land in arid regions requires advanced technology.

Related Characters

Component: 土

Component: 艮

垦