杠 (gàng) is a Chinese character meaning “a thick pole or bar”. It is written from 木 (tree; wood) and 工 (work), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “bar; thick pole”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
木 + 工
Left–right structure
Structure from: IDS ⿰木工，已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（木 4 + 工 3 = 7）
Memory aid
Wood (木) shaped for work (工): 杠 is a thick wooden pole — and the horizontal bar you pull yourself up on.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 单杠dān gànghorizontal bar (gymnastics)杠 = gàng
- 杠铃gàng língbarbell杠 = gàng
Go deeper
All readings
bar; thick pole
a thick pole or bar; the horizontal bar in gymnastics; a thick line drawn to mark or cross out
较粗的棍子或横杆；体操器械上的横杆；也指画在字句上的粗线。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 单杠dān gànghorizontal bar (gymnastics)杠 = gàng
- 杠铃gàng língbarbell杠 = gàng
Rare readings, not taught: gāng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 杠 mean?
杠 (gàng) means a thick pole or bar; the horizontal bar in gymnastics; a thick line drawn to mark or cross out.
How do you pronounce 杠?
It is pronounced gàng.
What parts is 杠 made of?
木 (tree; wood) and 工 (work), side by side. The recorded source is: IDS ⿰木工，已用 hanzi-writer-data 笔画数核验（木 4 + 工 3 = 7）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 杠 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 杠?
木. 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 杠?
Common ones are 单杠 and 杠铃. The reading of 杠 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.