扑克
pū kè · HSK 7
poker
🃏♠️ 扑克 pū kè sounds like the English word poker it borrows
扑克 is a loanword: the syllables pū-kè echo the English poker. It covers both the card game and a deck of playing cards.
扑 — hand radical 扌 + 卜 (bǔ, phonetic)
扑 is a semantic-phonetic compound. The hand radical 扌 signals an action done with the hand, while 卜 (bǔ) supplies the sound. The original meaning was to strike, hit, or pounce on something with the hand, later extended to flapping, beating, or rushing toward.
克 — top 十 + brother 兄 (helmeted figure)
Originally a pictograph of a person bearing a heavy helmet or burden on the head, suggesting the strength needed to carry or subdue a load. From 'to bear a weight' it extended to 'overcome, conquer, subdue,' and later 'to be able to.' The modern shape blends 十 above 兄.