颗

kē

HSK 2.0 Level 5 HSK 3.0 Level 5 Measure word Common

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Definitions

1. classifier for small spheres, pearls, corn grains, teeth, hearts, satellites etc

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Character focus

Stroke order

14 strokes

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Word relationships

Related words

2 items

• 粒 lì 粒 lì grain Used for smaller round objects like grains of rice, while 颗 is for larger or more distinct small round objects.: grain
• 块 kuài 块 kuài lump (of earth) Used for chunks, pieces, or irregular shapes; not specifically round like 颗.: lump (of earth)

Usage notes

Collocations

Commonly used with 心 (heart), 牙 (tooth), 星 (star), and round fruits like 葡萄 (grape). Do not use for long objects or flat surfaces.

Common mistakes

Do not confuse with 个 (gè); 颗 is specifically for small round objects, while 个 is the general classifier. Saying 一个心 is incorrect; it should be 一颗心.

Grammar

Guides that feature 颗

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1 guide

HSK 2.0 Level 5+ HSK 3.0 Level 5+ 8 min

Measure Words 朵, 颗, 根, 群, 架 and More

Pick the right measure word for flowers, stars, pens, crowds, planes, glasses, episodes and more with the 15 noun measure words of HSK 5.

Reading: kē Open guide

Example Sentences

4 shown

那 颗 子弹穿过墙壁。

That bullet went through the wall.

我需要一 颗 螺丝钉来固定这个木板。

I need a screw to fasten this wooden board.

我需要一 颗 螺丝来固定这个木板。

I need a screw to fix this wooden board.

我掉了 颗 牙。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 736536)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 颗

• 颗粒 颗粒 kē lì: kernel
• 一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅粥 一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅粥 yī kē lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō zhōu: see 一粒老鼠屎壞了一鍋粥|一粒老鼠屎坏了一锅粥[yī lì lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō zhōu]
• 一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅汤 一颗老鼠屎坏了一锅汤 yī kē lǎo shǔ shǐ huài le yī guō tāng: lit. one pellet of rat feces spoiled the whole pot of soup (idiom)
• 分泌颗粒 分泌颗粒 fēn mì kē lì: secretory granule
• 细颗粒物 细颗粒物 xì kē lì wù: fine particle (PM 2.5)
• 颗粒无收 颗粒无收 kē lì wú shōu: not a single grain was reaped (as in a bad harvest year)
• 颗粒物 颗粒物 kē lì wù: particulate matter (PM)