纲 (gāng) is a Chinese character meaning “the thick head rope of a net”. It is written from 纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 冈 (ridge of a hill), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “main rope of a net; outline”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
纟 + 冈
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字: 綱，維紘繩也。从糸，岡聲（简化字形 纲 = 纟 + 冈）
Memory aid
Silk cord (纟) running along a hill ridge (冈) — the two parts really in this character. One thick rope holds the whole net together: that rope is the outline everything else hangs from.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 大纲dà gāngoutline; syllabus纲 = gāng
- 纲要gāng yàoessentials; outline纲 = gāng
Go deeper
All readings
main rope of a net; outline
the thick head rope of a net; by extension the key points or outline of something; a class in biological taxonomy
渔网上的总绳；引申为事物的关键部分或提要；生物分类的一个等级。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 大纲dà gāngoutline; syllabus纲 = gāng
- 纲要gāng yàoessentials; outline纲 = gāng
Sound component
冈 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 纲 mean?
纲 (gāng) means the thick head rope of a net; by extension the key points or outline of something; a class in biological taxonomy.
How do you pronounce 纲?
It is pronounced gāng.
What parts is 纲 made of?
纟 (silk; thread (left-side form)) and 冈 (ridge of a hill), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字: 綱，維紘繩也。从糸，岡聲（简化字形 纲 = 纟 + 冈）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 纲 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 纲?
糸. 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 纲?
Common ones are 大纲 and 纲要. The reading of 纲 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.