冈 (gāng) is a Chinese character meaning “ridge or crest of a hill”. It is written from 冂 (down box) and 乂 (crossing strokes), one enclosing the other, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “ridge of a hill”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
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Structure
冂 + 乂
Enclosing structure
Structure from: Unicode U+5188 与 hanzi-writer-data 现代字形笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成 冂，第 3–4 笔构成 乂
Memory aid
An open frame 冂 with two crossed strokes 乂 inside — a ridge line crossing the sky under an open horizon. Both parts really are in this character.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 山冈shān gānglow hill; ridge of a hill冈 = gāng
Go deeper
All readings
ridge
ridge or crest of a hill; low hill
不高的山；山脊。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 山冈shān gānglow hill; ridge of a hill冈 = gāng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 冈 mean?
冈 (gāng) means ridge or crest of a hill; low hill.
How do you pronounce 冈?
It is pronounced gāng.
What parts is 冈 made of?
冂 (down box) and 乂 (crossing strokes), one enclosing the other. The recorded source is: Unicode U+5188 与 hanzi-writer-data 现代字形笔画核验：第 1–2 笔构成 冂，第 3–4 笔构成 乂. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 冈 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 冈?
冂. 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 冈?
Common ones are 山冈. The reading of 冈 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.