k

• الحرف الحادي عشر في الأبجدية الإنجليزية، وهو حرف ساكن يُنطق صوتًا انفجاريًا طبقيًا مهموسًا /k/. كثيرًا ما لا يُلفظ قبل 'n' في بداية الكلمة. ويُستخدم اختصارًا لكلمة ألف، ورمزًا لعنصر البوتاسيوم في الكيمياء، ولقياس القيراط في نقاء الذهب، وللعنصر الحادي عشر في التسلسل.

The eleventh letter of the English alphabet and the eighth consonant, representing the voiceless velar plosive sound /k/. As a grapheme, 'K' is often silent when followed by an 'n' at the beginning of a word, as in 'knee' or 'knife'. It is less common than the letter C for representing the /k/ sound in English. It functions as an abbreviation for one thousand, a designation for potassium in chemistry, a unit of measurement for gold purity (karat), and the eleventh item in a sequence.

1. The eleventh letter of the English alphabetA1formal

   The uppercase or lowercase character (K, k) that constitutes the eleventh symbol in the Latin-based English alphabet, classified as a consonant. It represents the voiceless velar plosive sound /k/. It is silent in initial 'kn' clusters like 'knee', 'knife', and 'knot'. It is the fourth least frequently used letter in English words.

   الحرف الحادي عشر من الأبجدية الإنجليزية

   • The word 'king' begins with the letter K.
   • The K in 'knowledge' is silent.
   • She practiced writing a capital K with two diagonal strokes.
   • After J comes K in the alphabet.
   • The name 'Katherine' is often spelled with a K instead of a C.

2. An abbreviation for one thousandA2informal

   The letter K used as a standard abbreviation for the prefix 'kilo-', meaning one thousand. It is commonly used with numbers to denote multiples of a thousand. It derives from the Greek word 'chilioi'. In computing, it often specifically means 1024 (2^10) when referring to data, as in kilobytes.

   ألف (اختصار)

   • She earns a salary of 50K per year.
   • The 5K race attracted thousands of runners.
   • The image file is 200K in size.
   • We need to raise another 10K for the charity.
   • He ran a marathon, which is over 42K.

3. The chemical symbol for potassiumB1formalscientific

   The one-letter chemical symbol representing the element potassium, atomic number 19. The symbol K derives from the Neo-Latin word 'kalium'. Potassium is a soft, silvery-white alkali metal essential for biological functions, particularly nerve transmission and muscle contraction.

   البوتاسيوم (عنصر كيميائي)

   • Bananas are a rich source of the element K.
   • Potassium, symbolized by K, reacts violently with water.
   • The chemical formula for potassium chloride is KCl.
   • Low K levels can cause muscle cramps.
   • The fertilizer contains N, P, and K for healthy plant growth.

4. Karat, a unit of purity for goldB1formal

   The letter K used as an abbreviation for 'karat', a unit measuring the purity of gold alloys. Pure gold is 24K. 18K gold contains 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals. This system is used in jewelry making and the precious metals trade to indicate the proportion of gold in an item.

   القيراط، وحدة نقاء الذهب

   • Her engagement ring is made of 24K gold.
   • 14K gold is more durable than 18K for everyday wear.
   • The bracelet is stamped with '18K' to verify its purity.
   • He inherited a 22K gold coin from his grandfather.
   • The jeweler explained that 10K is the minimum to be called gold in the US.

5. The eleventh item in a sequenceA2formal

   A designation used to mark the eleventh position, item, or category within a structured sequence, directly following J. It is commonly used in outlines, spreadsheets, seating charts, and classification systems as a label for an element in an ordered list.

   الحادي عشر في التسلسل

   • Our seats are in Row K, which is near the exit.
   • Please refer to Appendix K for additional data.
   • The answer to question 11 was K in the multiple-choice test.
   • Column K in the spreadsheet tracks employee bonuses.
   • Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting.