干
Depicts a forked pole or shield · Kangxi radical 51
Depicts a forked pole or shield, and in most characters simply supplies the sound gān/hán (with a side sense of poles, staffs and dryness)
The old graph showed a long-handled forked implement — a pole with a crosspiece at the top, used both to fend off blows and to strike with. You can still read that in the modern shape: a single vertical shaft crossed by two horizontal bars, the upper one shorter, like the guard at the head of the weapon. From "pole" came the extended senses of warding off, offending against, and (by another line of development) being dry. In practice it usually just marks pronunciation, as in 肝 liver, 汗 sweat, 竿 and 杆 pole, and 鼾 snore; in characters like 午, 年, 平, 南 and 幸 the 干 shape is only a coincidence of later simplification, not the original picture.
干 at a glance
- Meaning
- Depicts a forked pole or shield
- Strokes
- 3
- Characters
- 29
- Role
- Usually contributes sound
- Kangxi radical
- 51
Characters with 干 (27 of 29)
HSK 1 · 2
HSK 3 · 1
HSK 4 · 1
Beyond HSK · 17
Frequently asked questions
What does the component 干 mean?
干 means "Depicts a forked pole or shield". In the characters that contain it, it usually contributes sound.
How many Chinese characters contain 干?
29 characters in this dictionary contain 干, including ones at HSK 1, HSK 3, HSK 4, HSK 5, HSK 6.
Is 干 a radical?
Yes — 干 is Kangxi radical 51, one of the 214 traditional indexing radicals used to organise Chinese dictionaries.
How many strokes does 干 have?
干 is written in 3 strokes.