敲

strike, beat, hit

Strokes14

Readings

On'yomi

コウ

Kun'yomi

たた.く

Nanori

のぼる

Meaning

敲 centers on striking something with force: hitting, beating, or knocking against an object.

Most common words using 敲

推敲すいこう
N1
polishing (a piece of writing); improvement; revision; refinement
月下推敲げっかすいこう
polish; elaboration; repeatedly working over one's writing; being very scrupulous in the choice of diction

Explore all words using 敲 →

Study

Etymology

敲 combines 高 (tall, high) with 攴 (action involving a hand holding a stick), suggesting striking from above or striking something elevated. The exact historical development is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 高 suggests something high, and the right side 攴 looks like a hand holding a stick. Imagine striking a high gong with a mallet.

Reading mnemonic

For コウ, picture a kou (こう, a traditional Japanese incense) stick being struck to release its scent: kou -> コウ, and the strike releases the fragrance.