开 — to open; to start
- Pinyin
- kāi
- Strokes
- 4
- HSK level
- HSK 1
- Handwriting
- recognition only
How to write 开: 4 strokes
Each cell adds one stroke to the previous ones, with the new stroke in red. Stroke order is not decoration: it sets the proportions of the character and makes handwriting legible to a reader. The syllabus asks you to recognise this character rather than write it by hand.
Words with 开 in the HSK syllabus: 52
Every word in the official 2026 syllabus that contains this character, with the level it is introduced at. Learning a character pays off through these: each one combines with the characters you already know.
- 开kāito open; to startHSK 1
- 开车kāichēto drive a carHSK 1
- 打开dǎkāito open; to show; to turn on; to switch onHSK 2
- 开始kāishǐto begin; to start; beginning; startHSK 2
- 开学kāixuéto start school; to begin; to found a schoolHSK 2
- 分开fēnkāito separate; to partHSK 3
- 开花kāihuāto bloom; to blossom; to flowerHSK 3
- 开会kāihuìto hold a meeting; to attend a meetingHSK 3
- 开机kāijīto start an engine; to boot upHSK 3
- 开心kāixīnto feel happy; to rejoice; to have a great timeHSK 3
- 离开líkāito depart; to leaveHSK 3
- 开玩笑kāi wánxiàoto play a joke; to make fun of; to jokeHSK 4
- 开发kāifāto exploit; to open up; to developHSK 5
- 开放kāifàngto bloom; to open; to be open; to open upHSK 5
- 开幕kāimùto open; to inaugurateHSK 5
- 开幕式kāimùshìopening ceremonyHSK 5
- 开水kāishuǐboiled water; boiling waterHSK 5
- 开通kāitōngto open; to set up; to launch; to subscribe toHSK 5
- 开业kāiyèto open a business; to open a practice; openHSK 5
- 开展kāizhǎnto launch; to develop; to unfold; to openHSK 5
- 展开zhǎnkāito unfold; to spread out; to open upHSK 5
- 召开zhàokāito convene; to convoke; to call togetherHSK 5
- 公开gōngkāiopen; overt; public; to make public; to releaseHSK 6
- 开创kāichuàngto initiate; to start; to foundHSK 6
- 开关kāiguānpower switch; gas valve; to open the city gateHSK 6
- 开启kāiqǐto start; to begin; to initiate; to enableHSK 6
- 开设kāishèto offer; to openHSK 6
- 开头kāitóubeginning; to startHSK 6
- 敞开chǎngkāito open wide; unrestrictedlyHSK 7–9
- 开办kāibànto open; to start; to set upHSK 7–9
- 开采kāicǎito extract; to exploit; to mineHSK 7–9
- 开场kāichǎngto begin; to open; to start; beginning of an eventHSK 7–9
- 开场白kāichǎngbáiprologue of play; opening remarks; preambleHSK 7–9
- 开除kāichúto expel; to fireHSK 7–9
- 开动kāidòngto start; to set in motion; to move; to marchHSK 7–9
- 开发区kāifāqūdevelopment zoneHSK 7–9
- 开发商kāifāshāngdeveloperHSK 7–9
- 开工kāigōngto begin work; to start a construction jobHSK 7–9
- 开垦kāikěnto clear a wild area for cultivationHSK 7–9
- 开阔kāikuòwide; open; to open upHSK 7–9
And 12 more across the higher levels — the full lists are on the level pages.
Glosses come from CC-CEDICT, used under CC BY-SA 4.0, and are the dictionary’s first sense rather than a translation chosen for context.