(prefix) can; may; able to; -able

to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however

nail (丁) + mouth (口) = can, may, approve

丁 originally depicted a nail or peg — something that fixes or affirms a point. 口 mainly lends the sound kě here; the nail image anchors the sense of something being approved or permitted.

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A nailSemantic
MouthPhonetic

Words with 可

速可达

sù kě dá

(loanword) scooter

遥不可及

yáo bù kě jí

unattainable

适可而止

shì kě ér zhǐ

(idiom) to refrain from going too far; to know when to stop

锐不可当

ruì bù kě dāng

unstoppable

钱可通神

qián kě tōng shén

with money, you can do anything (idiom)

门可罗雀

mén kě luó què

lit. you can net sparrows at the door (idiom)

陈可雄

chén kě xióng

Chen Kexiong (1950-), novelist

随处可见

suí chù kě jiàn

can be seen everywhere

难能可贵

nán néng kě guì

rare and precious

食之无味,弃之可惜

shí zhī wú wèi , qì zhī kě xī

lit. to be hardly worth eating, but it would still be a pity to discard it (idiom)

余勇可贾

yú yǒng kě gǔ

lit. spare valor for sale (idiom); fig. after former successes, still ready for more work

马可·奥勒留

mǎ kě · ào lēi liú

Marcus Aurelius (121-180), Roman Emperor

More characters with 丁