干 (gān) is a Chinese character meaning “dry”. It is written from 一 (one) and 十 (ten), one above the other, and takes 3 strokes. It has a second reading, gàn, which turns up in 干活 — here the two readings are two separate things to learn, not one card with two answers.
Build the character for “dry”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
一 + 十
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: makemeahanzi dictionary modern decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke data
Memory aid
Place one (一) above ten (十) to build 干.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
3 strokes
In real words
- 干净gān jìngclean干 = gān
- 干杯gān bēicheers; to drink a toast干 = gān
- 干戈gān gēweapons of war; warfare (literally: shield and dagger-axe)干 = gān
- 干扰gān rǎoto interfere with; interference干 = gān
- 干旱gān hàndrought; arid干 = gān
- 拧干níng gānto wring dry干 = gān
- 沥干lì gānto drain dry; to let the liquid drip off干 = gān
- 若干ruò gāna certain number; several; some干 = gān
- 干咳gān kédry cough (a cough that brings up no phlegm)干 = gān
- 干枯gān kūdried up; withered; parched干 = gān
- 干涉gān shèto interfere; to intervene干 = gān
- 干脆gān cuìstraightforward; simply; just干 = gān
- 晒干shài gānto dry in the sun干 = gān
- 烘干hōng gānto dry (by heat); to tumble-dry干 = gān
- 饼干bǐng gānbiscuit; cracker; cookie干 = gān
Go deeper
All readings
dry
dry; empty of water
没有水分或水分很少。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 干净gān jìngclean干 = gān
- 干杯gān bēicheers; to drink a toast干 = gān
- 干戈gān gēweapons of war; warfare (literally: shield and dagger-axe)干 = gān
- 干扰gān rǎoto interfere with; interference干 = gān
- 干旱gān hàndrought; arid干 = gān
- 拧干níng gānto wring dry干 = gān
- 沥干lì gānto drain dry; to let the liquid drip off干 = gān
- 若干ruò gāna certain number; several; some干 = gān
- 干咳gān kédry cough (a cough that brings up no phlegm)干 = gān
- 干枯gān kūdried up; withered; parched干 = gān
- 干涉gān shèto interfere; to intervene干 = gān
- 干脆gān cuìstraightforward; simply; just干 = gān
- 晒干shài gānto dry in the sun干 = gān
- 烘干hōng gānto dry (by heat); to tumble-dry干 = gān
- 饼干bǐng gānbiscuit; cracker; cookie干 = gān
do
to do; to work
做；从事某种工作。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 干活gàn huóto work; to do a job干 = gàn
- 干劲gàn jìndrive; enthusiasm for work干 = gàn
- 干啥gàn sháto do what; what for (colloquial)干 = gàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 干 mean?
干 (gān) means dry; empty of water.
How do you pronounce 干?
Its main reading is gān. It also has a second reading, gàn, which only shows up in certain words such as 干活 — so the word tells you the reading, not the character on its own.
Why is 干 sometimes pronounced gàn?
Because it is a multi-reading character: each reading carries a different sense, and the word decides which one applies. In 干活 it is read gàn.
What parts is 干 made of?
一 (one) and 十 (ten), one above the other. The recorded source is: makemeahanzi dictionary modern decomposition candidate, verified against hanzi-writer-data 2.0.1 stroke data. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 干 have?
3. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 干?
干. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 干?
Common ones are 干净 and 干杯. The reading of 干 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.