HSK 3
一刻
yī kè
quarter hour
Structure
Hour + 点 + 一刻 (15 mins) / 三刻 (45 mins)
How it works
In Chinese, '一刻' (yī kè) is used to express a fifteen-minute interval or a 'quarter' of an hour. It is strictly used for the 15-minute mark (yī kè) and the 45-minute mark (sān kè), but is never used for the 30-minute mark, which uses '半' (bàn).
Examples
我九点一刻去公司。
Wǒ jiǔ diǎn yī kè qù gōngsī.
I go to the office at 9:15.
现在是五点三刻。
Xiànzài shì wǔ diǎn sān kè.
It is now 5:45.
会议十点一刻开始。
Huìyì shí diǎn yī kè kāishǐ.
The meeting starts at 10:15.
Common mistakes
Do not say '两刻' (liǎng kè) for 5:30; you must use '五点半' (wǔ diǎn bàn) instead.
Tip
Think of '刻' like a notch on a sundial; '一' is the first notch (15) and '三' is the third (45).
More HSK 3 grammar
See 一刻 in real Chinese
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