开
to open; to drive; to turn on; to start
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HSK level
- Pinyin
- kāi
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 1
- Strokes
- 4
- Register
- neutral
- In episodes
- 1
Stroke order for 开
开 is written with 4 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 开 mean?
开 (kāi) is one of the most flexible verbs in Chinese.
Its core meaning is 'to open,' but native speakers extend it freely: 开门 (open a door), 开车 (drive a car), 开灯 (turn on a light), 开会 (hold a meeting), 开始 (start). English forces a different verb for each of these — open, drive, turn on, hold, start — while Chinese uses 开 because the underlying idea is the same: setting something into motion or breaking it out of a closed state.
The opposite is 关 (guān, 'close / shut off'), which pairs with 开 across all these uses: 关门 close the door, 关灯 turn off the light, 关电视 turn off the TV. Register is neutral and the verb works in any context.
Memory hook: The traditional form 開 shows hands lifting a bolt off a door — the original 'open' image survives in every modern use of 开.
Hear 开 in real episodes
开 appears in 1 Fluentide podcast episode at natural native speed. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
一个美国老板在美国开了一家工厂，做沙发。
An American boss opened a factory in the US, making sofas.
Trump Tariffs Backfire: TOV's Zero-Dollar High Point Sofa Factory Shuts After 10 Months
Example sentences
请开门。
Qǐng kāi mén.
Please open the door.
spoken
我哥哥会开车。
Wǒ gēge huì kāi chē.
My older brother can drive.
spoken
天黑了，开灯吧。
Tiān hēi le, kāi dēng ba.
It's getting dark, let's turn on the light.
spoken
我们几点开始上课？
Wǒmen jǐ diǎn kāishǐ shàng kè?
What time do we start class?
neutral
Common phrases with 开
Synonyms
打开 is 'open up' for physical objects, files, apps, and packages: 打开盒子 (open the box), 打开手机 (unlock the phone). 开 alone is broader and more idiomatic for habitual actions like 开门, 开车.
Don't confuse 开 with
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
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