岗 (gǎng) is a Chinese character meaning “a sentry post or lookout”. It is written from 山 (mountain) and 冈 (ridge of a hill), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “post; sentry post”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
山 + 冈
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：山 3 画 + 冈 4 画 = 7 画）
Memory aid
A mountain (山) planted on top of a ridge (冈) — the highest bit of high ground, exactly where you would put a lookout. That is a 岗: the post you are stationed at.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 岗位gǎng wèipost; job position岗 = gǎng
- 站岗zhàn gǎngto stand guard; to be on sentry duty岗 = gǎng
Go deeper
All readings
post; sentry post
a sentry post or lookout; by extension, a job post or position one is stationed at
站岗放哨的位置；引申指职位、工作岗位。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 岗位gǎng wèipost; job position岗 = gǎng
- 站岗zhàn gǎngto stand guard; to be on sentry duty岗 = gǎng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 岗 mean?
岗 (gǎng) means a sentry post or lookout; by extension, a job post or position one is stationed at.
How do you pronounce 岗?
It is pronounced gǎng.
What parts is 岗 made of?
山 (mountain) and 冈 (ridge of a hill), one above the other. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：山 3 画 + 冈 4 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 岗 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 岗?
山. 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 岗?
Common ones are 岗位 and 站岗. The reading of 岗 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.