刻 means “carve, moment”

こく · koku

Also: engrave, cut fine, chop, hash

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): きざむ, きざみ
On'yomi (Chinese reading): コク

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 6 · 8 strokes

The story

A knife (刂) beside the zodiac boar (亥): picture notches cut down the rod of an old water clock, one for each hour. 刻む is to carve or chop, and 刻 is also a moment of time: 時刻表 is a timetable and 遅刻 is being late.

Used in 遅刻 (chikoku, being late), 時刻表 (jikokuhyou, timetable), and 刻む (kizamu, to chop/carve)

刻 means “carve, moment”

The story

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