k

See also: Variations of "k"

k - Translingual

Letter

k (upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the basic modern Latin alphabet.

Pronunciation

(Voiceless velar plosive):

Symbol

(IPA) voiceless velar plosive.
(geology) the permeability of a material for fluids
(physics) the spring constant of an elastic material
(physics) Boltzmann's constant

Noun

(numbers) Abbreviation of thousand. (1000) (taken from the SI-prefix k- for kilo- meaning 1000's multiplier)
- (finance) €500k = 500,000 Euros

Gallery

Letter styles
Uppercase and lowercase versions of K, in normal and italic type
Uppercase and lowercase K in Fraktur

k - English

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA: /k/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K, plural ks or k's)

The eleventh letter of the English alphabet, called kay and written in the Latin script.
The first letter of callsigns allocated to American broadcast television and radio stations west of the Mississippi river.

Number

k (lower case, upper case K)

The ordinal number eleventh, derived from this letter of the English alphabet, called kay and written in the Latin script.

Noun

k (plural ks or k's)

(computing) A kilobyte (more formally KB or kB).
(computing) A kilobit (more formally kb), especially in measuring Internet connection.
(colloquial) kilometre or kilometres.
- We drove 15 ks before we realised Billy wasn't in the back seat.
(colloquial) thousand or thousands.
- Just about 65 k of Jack's full salary comes from servicing the Baker account.
The SI measurement value of 1,000

Derived terms

56k
401k/401(k)

Interjection

(colloquial, text messaging, Internet slang) OK
- Synonym: 'kay

Usage notes

"k" usually implies apathy or anger towards the statement it is responding to, in a less emphatic way than "K".

Derived terms

k - Afar

Letter

The seventh letter of the Afar alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Azerbaijani

Pronunciation

(phoneme) IPA: /c/, /ç/, /k/

Letter

k lower case (upper case K)

The sixteenth letter of the Azerbaijani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Basque

Pronunciation

IPA: /ka/, [ka]

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Basque alphabet, called ka and written in the Latin script.

k - Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of k – see K (“karaoke; etc.”). (This character, k, is a variant form of K.)

k - Czech

Pronunciation

(before a vowel or a voiceless consonant) IPA: [k]
(before a voiced consonant) IPA: [ɡ]

Preposition

k (+ dative)

to, toward, towards (movement towards a person)
- Šel jsem si k mému bratrovi pro půjčku. ― I went to my brother for a loan.
- Měla by jsi jít k lékařovi. ― You should go to a doctor.
to (in the direction of rather than a destination)
- V jedné chvíli jsem si uvědomila, že jdu směrem k domu. ― At some point, i found myself walking towards the house.
to, up to
- takže jsem vstala a šla k oknu. ― So I got up and I went to the window.
- Od nevyšších k nejnižším. ― From the highest to the lowest.
for, to (purpose)
- Co si dáš k obědu? ― What will you have for lunch?
- něco k jídlu. ― Something to eat.
- všechno zlé je k něčemu dobré. ― Everything bad is good for something.

Usage notes

This preposition is followed by the dative case.

Synonyms

k - Dutch

Pronunciation

(letter name): IPA: /kaː/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Dutch alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Esperanto

Pronunciation

(letter name): IPA: /ko/
(phoneme): IPA: /k/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The fifteenth letter of the Esperanto alphabet, called ko and written in the Latin script.

Conjunction

Abbreviation of kaj (“and”).

Synonyms

&
(text messaging) K

k - Estonian

Pronunciation

IPA: /ˈkɑː/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Estonian alphabet, called kaa and written in the Latin script.

k - Faroese

Pronunciation

IPA: /kʰ/

Letter

k (upper case K)

The thirteenth letter of the Faroese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Finnish

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Finnish alphabet, called koo and written in the Latin script.

Noun

(housing) Abbreviation of keittiö (“kitchen”).

k - French

Pronunciation

IPA: /ka/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the French alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Fula

Pronunciation

IPA: /k/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

A letter of the Fula alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

Common to all varieties of Fula (Fulfulde / Pulaar / Pular).

k - Gothic

Romanization

Romanization of 𐌺

k - Hungarian

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA: [ˈk]
(letter name): IPA: [ˈkaː]

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eighteenth letter of the Hungarian alphabet, called ká and written in the Latin script.

Declension

Inflection (stem in long/high vowel, back harmony)
	singular	plural
nominative	k	k-k
accusative	k-t	k-kat
dative	k-nak	k-knak
instrumental	k-val	k-kkal
causal-final	k-ért	k-kért
translative	k-vá	k-kká
terminative	k-ig	k-kig
essive-formal	k-ként	k-kként
essive-modal	—	—
inessive	k-ban	k-kban
superessive	k-n	k-kon
adessive	k-nál	k-knál
illative	k-ba	k-kba
sublative	k-ra	k-kra
allative	k-hoz	k-khoz
elative	k-ból	k-kból
delative	k-ról	k-król
ablative	k-tól	k-któl
non-attributive possessive - singular	k-é	k-ké
non-attributive possessive - plural	k-éi	k-kéi

Possessive forms of k
possessor	single possession	multiple possessions
1st person sing.	k-m	k-im
2nd person sing.	k-d	k-id
3rd person sing.	k-ja	k-i
1st person plural	k-nk	k-ink
2nd person plural	k-tok	k-itok
3rd person plural	k-juk	k-ik

k - Ido

Pronunciation

(context pronunciation) IPA: /k/
(letter name) IPA: /ke/

Letter

k (upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Ido alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Indonesian

Pronunciation

(letter name): IPA: /ka/
(phoneme): IPA: /k/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Indonesian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Italian

Letter

k f (invariable)

see under K

k - Latin

Letter

The tenth letter of the Latin alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Latvian

Pronunciation

IPA: [k]

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The sixteenth letter of the Latvian alphabet, called kā and written in the Latin script.

k - Livonian

Pronunciation

(phoneme) IPA: /k/

Letter

k (upper case K)

The sixteenth letter of the Livonian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Lower Sorbian

Alternative forms

ku (before ch, g, and k)

Pronunciation

IPA: /k/

Preposition

k (with dative)

k - Lushootseed

Pronunciation

(phoneme) IPA: /k/

Letter

The seventeenth letter of the Lushootseed alphabet, pronounced as a voiceless velar stop.

k - Malay

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Malay alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Maltese

Pronunciation

IPA: /k/
IPA: /ɡ/ (per assimilation to a following voiced obstruent)

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The fifteenth letter of the Maltese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Norwegian

Pronunciation

(letter name): IPA: /kɔː/
(phoneme): IPA: /k/, /ç/

Letter

The eleventh letter of the Norwegian alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

When written before j, k and j merge into voiceless palatal fricative, the ch sound in German ich.

k - Nupe

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA: /k/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The thirteenth letter of the Nupe alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Polish

Pronunciation

IPA: /ka/

Letter

k (upper case K, lower case)

The fourteenth letter of the Polish alphabet, called ka and written in the Latin script.

k - Portuguese

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Portuguese alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Romani

Pronunciation

IPA: /k/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

(International Standard) The fourteenth letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.
(Pan-Vlax) The fifteenth letter of the Romani alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Romanian

Pronunciation

IPA: /k/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The fourteenth letter of the Romanian alphabet, called ca or capa and written in the Latin script.

Usage notes

Used only in loanwords and some proper nouns.

k - Serbo-Croatian

Alternative forms

(uppercase): K

Pronunciation

(phoneme) IPA: /k/

Letter

k (Cyrillic spelling к)

The 15th letter of the Serbo-Croatian Latin alphabet (gajica), preceded by j and followed by l.

Alternative forms

ka (see usage notes)

Preposition

k (Cyrillic spelling к) (+ dative case)

to
towards

Usage notes

Although both k and ka can be used synonymously, k must take the alternative form ka in the following environment:

before /k, g, h/:
- ka kući ― to/towards home
- ka gradu ― to/towards the city
- ka hladu ― to/towards the shade
before consonant clusters with emphasis on /k, g, h/:
- ka školi ― to/towards school
- ka zgradi ― to/towards the building
- ka hladu ― to/towards the shade

Synonyms

ka (see usage notes)

k - Skolt Sami

Pronunciation

(phoneme) IPA: /k/

Letter

k (upper case K)

The eighteenth letter of the Skolt Sami alphabet, written in the Latin script.

k - Spanish

Pronunciation

IPA: (phoneme) /k/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Spanish alphabet, written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

IPA: /ˈke/ [ˈke]

Conjunction

(slang) Abbreviation of que.

Pronoun

(slang) Abbreviation of que.

k - Swedish

Pronunciation

Letter name

IPA: /koː/

Phoneme

IPA: /k/, /ɕ/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Swedish alphabet, called kå and written in the Latin script. Pronounced /k/ in front of a, o, u and å and /ɕ/ in front of e, i, y, ä and ö (some loan words might ignore this rule).

k - Tagalog

Pronunciation

Letter

IPA: /ˈkej/, [ˈkeɪ̯] (in Filipino alphabet)
IPA: /ka/, [kɐ] (in Abakada alphabet)

Phoneme

IPA: /k/, [k]
- IPA: [kx] (allophone in initial position)
- IPA: [x] (allophone in Intervocalic position)

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Tagalog alphabet, called key or ka and written in the Latin script.

Pronunciation

IPA: /ˈkej/, [ˈkeɪ̯]

Interjection

(Internet slang, text messaging) OK

Pronunciation

IPA: /ka/, [kɐ]

Pronoun

(Internet slang, text messaging) Alternative form of ka (in text messaging and Internet conversations): you; u
- Nasan k na?
  - Where are you?

k - Turkish

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA: /c/, /k/
(letter name): IPA: (standard) /ceː/, /kɑː/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The fourteenth letter of the Turkish alphabet, called ke and written in the Latin script.

k - Turkmen

Pronunciation

(phoneme) IPA: /k~q/

Letter

k (upper case K)

The thirteenth letter of the Turkmen alphabet, called ka and written in the Latin script.

k - Yoruba

Pronunciation

(phoneme): IPA: /k/
(letter name): IPA: /kí/

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The twelfth letter of the Yoruba alphabet, called kí and written in the Latin script.

k - Zulu

Letter

k (lower case, upper case K)

The eleventh letter of the Zulu alphabet, written in the Latin script.