旱 (hàn) is a Chinese character meaning “lack of rain”. It is written from 日 (sun; day) and 干 (dry), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “drought”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
日 + 干
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: IDS 现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（日 4 画 + 干 3 画 = 7 画）
Memory aid
The sun (日) sits on top, dry (干) sits underneath — sun over dryness is what a drought looks like. 干 is also the sound clue: 干 is gān, 旱 is hàn.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 干旱gān hàndrought; arid旱 = hàn
- 旱地hàn dìdry land; non-irrigated farmland旱 = hàn
Go deeper
All readings
drought
lack of rain; drought; also: on land, as opposed to on water
长期不下雨，缺水干燥；也指陆地上的（与水路相对）。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 干旱gān hàndrought; arid旱 = hàn
- 旱地hàn dìdry land; non-irrigated farmland旱 = hàn
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 旱 mean?
旱 (hàn) means lack of rain; drought; also: on land, as opposed to on water.
How do you pronounce 旱?
It is pronounced hàn.
What parts is 旱 made of?
日 (sun; day) and 干 (dry), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS 现代字形拆分，已对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（日 4 画 + 干 3 画 = 7 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 旱 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 旱?
日. 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 旱?
Common ones are 干旱 and 旱地. The reading of 旱 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.