干

2 readings · tap one to hear it

dry; dried food; empty; hollow; taken in to nominal kinship; adoptive; foster; futile; in vain; (dialect) rude; blunt; (dialect) to cold-shoulder

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Pictograph (象形字)

A club or axe

Components 一十

dry · Heisig RSH #1277

— as a component also called: clothesline

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
干什么	gàn shén me	what are you doing?; what's he up to?
干净	gān jìng	clean; neat
干儿子	gān ér zi	adopted son (traditional adoption, i.e. without legal ramifications)
白干儿	bái gān r	alcoholic spirit; strong white rice wine
干手机	gān shǒu jī	hand dryer
新干县	Xīn gàn Xiàn	Xingan, a county in Ji'an City 吉安市[Ji2 an1 Shi4], Jiangxi
不相干	bù xiāng gān	to be irrelevant; to have nothing to do with
巴尔干	Bā ěr gàn	Balkan
大干	dà gàn	to go all out; to work energetically
干事长	gàn shi zhǎng	secretary-general
无干	wú gān	to have nothing to do with
干儿	gān ér	adopted son (traditional adoption, i.e. without legal ramifications)
干儿	gān r	dried food
天干	tiān gān	the 10 heavenly stems 甲[jia3], 乙[yi3], 丙[bing3], 丁[ding1], 戊[wu4], 己[ji3], 庚[geng1], 辛[xin…
主干线	zhǔ gàn xiàn	trunk line (of road, network etc); backbone (cable)
干巴巴	gān bā bā	dry; parched; dull; insipid
高干	gāo gàn	high cadre; top party member
干面	gān miàn	noodles mixed with a sauce and served with toppings (not in a soup); (dialect) flour
公干	gōng gàn	official business; to do official business
新干线	Xīn gàn xiàn	Shinkansen, Japan's high-speed rail network; Shinkansen train

These characters use 干 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
干 sound part	gān	arid, dry; to oppose; to offend; to invade
杆	gān	cane, pole, stick
汗	hàn	perspiration, sweat
奸	jiān	crafty, dishonest, selfish; evil, villainous; adultery
刊	kān	publication, periodical; to publish, to print
肝	gān	liver
赶	gǎn	to pursue, to overtake; to hurry; to expel
竿	gān	bamboo pole; penis
轩	xuān	pavilion; carriage; balcony
鼾	hān	to snore loudly
矸	gān	cliff; rock
邗	hán	an ancient place in the state of Wu
旰	gàn	sunset, dusk; evening
犴	àn	wild dog; jail, lock-up
豻	àn	prison, jail; a wild dog
酐	gān	anhydride