K may refer to any of the following:
A k is short for kilobit and kilobyte.
K is a keyboard key used with the keyboard shortcuts Alt+K, Command+K, and Ctrl+K.
K is chat slang for ok, which is also sometimes abbreviated as kk.
With Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheet programs, “K” is the eleventh column of a spreadsheet. To reference the first cell in the column, you’d use “K1.”
A “k” may also be combined with another shorthand to form longer chat slang. For example, kthx is short for “ok, thanks” and kthxbai is short for “ok, thanks, bye.”
A lowercase k is the SI-derived symbol of kilo.
In the phonetic alphabet, “K” is often pronounced as “kilo.”
K is the eleventh letter of the English alphabet. The letter “K” comes after “J” and is followed by the letter “L.” To create a capitalized “K,” press Shift and K at the same time.
With U.S. QWERTY keyboards, the “K” key is on the home row, to the right of the “J” and left of the “L” key. See our keyboard page for a visual example of all keyboard keys.
Chat terms, Computer acronyms, Letter
If the “K” key is not working on the keyboard, see: Some keys on my computer keyboard aren’t working.
In ASCII, the uppercase “K” is “075” in decimal (01001011 in binary). The lowercase “k” is “107” in decimal (01101011 in binary).
Doing the Alt code Alt+75 creates a capital “K” and Alt+107 creates a lowercase “k” character.
The number 5 on a phone keypad is used to create an “K” on a US phone.
Related information
- See our K terms for a full listing of computer terms starting with “K.”
- Computer people and pioneers with “K” first names.
