恳

懇

kěn

心 + 艮

Definitions

kěn (adjective) earnest; sincere

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 艮 represents the sound. Simplified form of 懇.

Semantic: 心 Phonetic: 艮

About

The character 恳 is the simplified version of the traditional character 懇, a phono-semantic compound. Its lower portion, the heart radical 心, firmly anchors it within the realm of human emotions, providing a semantic connection to sincerity and heartfelt feeling, while the upper component 艮 serves as the phonetic indicator, supplying the sound. The character primarily denotes earnestness, deep sincerity, and genuine intention; over time, it also came to signify begging or pleading with profound humility and urgency, shifting from an internal state of honesty to an outward, fervent request directed toward another.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他的态度很诚恳。

Tā de tàidù hěn chéngkěn.

His attitude is very sincere.

我恳请你原谅。

Wǒ kěnqǐng nǐ yuánliàng.

I earnestly ask for your forgiveness.

她恳求妈妈同意。

Tā kěnqiú māma tóngyì.

She begged her mother to agree.

我们诚恳地邀请您参加。

Wǒmen chéngkěn de yāoqǐng nín cānjiā.

We sincerely invite you to attend.

他恳切地表达了自己的意见。

Tā kěnqiè de biǎodá le zìjǐ de yìjiàn.

He earnestly expressed his own opinion.

尽管他恳求多次，老师还是没有答应。

Jǐnguǎn tā kěnqiú duō cì, lǎoshī háishì méiyǒu dāying.

Although he begged many times, the teacher still didn't agree.

我诚恳地希望你能理解我的苦衷。

Wǒ chéngkěn de xīwàng nǐ néng lǐjiě wǒ de kǔzhōng.

I sincerely hope you can understand my difficulties.

在会议上，他言辞恳切地提出了改进方案，赢得了大家的支持。

Zài huìyì shàng, tā yáncí kěnqiè de tíchū le gǎijìn fāng'àn, yíngdé le dàjiā de zhīchí.

At the meeting, he earnestly proposed an improvement plan with sincere words, winning everyone's support.

Related Characters

Component: 心

Component: 艮

恳