刻

kè

HSK 3

刻 — kè

1. quarter (of an hour); 15 minutes

   现在是三点一刻。 xiànzài shì sāndiǎn yīkè — It's now 3:15.

2. a short moment; a brief period

   等一刻，我马上回来。 děng yīkè wǒ mǎshàng huílái — Wait a moment, I'll be right back.

3. to carve; to engrave; to cut (into a surface)

   工匠在石头上刻字。 gōngjiàng zài shítou shàng kèzì — The craftsman is carving characters into the stone.

4. oppressive; harsh (often in compounds, e.g. 刻薄 'mean')

   他说话很刻薄，让人觉得很难受。 tā shuōhuà hěn kèbó ràng rén juéde hěn nánshòu — The way he speaks is harsh and makes people feel uncomfortable.

5. classifier for short time intervals (used after numerals, e.g. 一刻)

   我只需要一刻钟。 wǒ zhǐ xūyào yīkèzhōng — I only need a quarter of an hour.