Chinese symbol for “may”
可
kě
(prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very
The closest CC-CEDICT match for may is 可 (kě), defined as: (prefix) can; may; able to; -able; to approve; to permit; to suit; (particle used for emphasis) certainly; very; but; however.
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Characters and stroke order
Other Chinese words for “may”
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may |
| 堪 | kān | (bound form) may; can; (bound form) to endure; to bear |
| 五月份 | wǔ yuè fèn | May |
| 愿 (願) | yuàn | (bound form) wish; hope; desire; to be willing |
| 或将 (或將) | huò jiāng | will perhaps; may (in the future) |
Related words
Other words that share a character with 可.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 可以 | kě yǐ | can; may |
| 可能 | kě néng | might (happen); possible |
| 可是 | kě shì | but; however; (used for emphasis) indeed |
| 不可 | bù kě | cannot; should not; must not |
| 可怕 | kě pà | awful; dreadful |
| 可爱 (可愛) | kě ài | adorable; cute |
See also: Japanese symbol for “may”.
Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.