甘 (gān) is a Chinese character meaning “sweet”. It is written from 廿 (twenty) and 一 (one), and takes 5 strokes.
Build the character for “sweet; willing”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
廿 + 一
Overlapping structure
Structure from: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：第 1、2、3、5 笔与「廿」逐笔一致，第 4 笔为框内一横）
Memory aid
An open frame (廿) with one short bar (一) held inside it — something kept on the tongue because it tastes sweet.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
5 strokes
In real words
- 甘心gān xīnto be willing; to be reconciled to甘 = gān
Go deeper
All readings
sweet; willing
sweet; pleasant to the taste; willingly; of one's own accord
味道甜、美好。也表示情愿、乐意。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 甘心gān xīnto be willing; to be reconciled to甘 = gān
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 甘 mean?
甘 (gān) means sweet; pleasant to the taste; willingly; of one's own accord.
How do you pronounce 甘?
It is pronounced gān.
What parts is 甘 made of?
廿 (twenty) and 一 (one). The recorded source is: hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（现代字形拆分：第 1、2、3、5 笔与「廿」逐笔一致，第 4 笔为框内一横）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 甘 have?
5. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 甘?
甘. 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 甘?
Common ones are 甘心. The reading of 甘 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.