官 (guān) is a Chinese character meaning “government official”. It is written from 宀 (roof) and 𠂤 (duī: a small mound or heap; appears only as a component (官, 追, 师)), one above the other, and takes 8 strokes.
Build the character for “a government official”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
宀 + 𠂤
Top–bottom structure
- 宀 roof · mián meaning
- 𠂤 duī: a small mound or heap; appears only as a component (追, 師) · duī unknown
Structure from: IDS 拆分 ⿱宀𠂤，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 与「宀」逐笔对应，笔画 3–7 为下部「𠂤」（3+5=8 画）
Memory aid
Under the roof (宀) of a government building, a mound (𠂤) of files is stacked up — somebody with a title has to sign them: the official.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
8 strokes
In real words
- 官府guān fǔthe authorities; government office (in former times)官 = guān
- 官吏guān lìgovernment officials官 = guān
- 宦官huàn guāneunuch (court official in imperial China)官 = guān
Go deeper
All readings
official
government official; officer; official, public (as opposed to private)
在政府或军队中担任一定职务的公职人员；也表示属于国家或公家的。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 官府guān fǔthe authorities; government office (in former times)官 = guān
- 官吏guān lìgovernment officials官 = guān
- 宦官huàn guāneunuch (court official in imperial China)官 = guān
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 官 mean?
官 (guān) means government official; officer; official, public (as opposed to private).
How do you pronounce 官?
It is pronounced guān.
What parts is 官 made of?
宀 (roof) and 𠂤 (duī: a small mound or heap; appears only as a component (官, 追, 师)), one above the other. The recorded source is: IDS 拆分 ⿱宀𠂤，并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：笔画 0–2 与「宀」逐笔对应，笔画 3–7 为下部「𠂤」（3+5=8 画）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 官 have?
8. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 官?
宀. 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 官?
Common ones are 官府 and 官吏. The reading of 官 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.