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干

gān
#353 most
frequent character
do
verb

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

干 is a drawing of a hunting or military tool, so its first meaning was that tool. It grew to mean 'shield', then 'to interfere'. Later the same written form was borrowed for 'celestial stem' and for 'dry', just for its sound. In simplified Chinese it also stands for 幹 gàn 'to work' and 乾 gān 'to dry'.

Drawn as: hunting or military tool

干 as a component in other characters

meaning1 character
刊
sound19 characters
赶岸刊汗肝奸杆罕轩旱竿鼾秆矸酐旰
picture4 characters
奸罕讦顸

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Example Sentences

我想干一件好事。
wǒxiǎng gān yījiàn hǎoshì 。
I want to do a good deed.
他每天都要干很多工作。
tā měitiān dūyào gān hěnduō gōngzuò 。
He has to do a lot of work every day.
我们一起干吧。
wǒmen yīqǐ gān bā 。
Let's do it together.

Same Characters, Different Readings

干gān
do
干Gan1
surname Gan
干gān
do
干gān
do
干Gan1
surname Gan
HSK 5
干gàn
to work, to do, to manage

Words with similar meanings

做zuò
to do
A more formal term often used to imply creating or performing an action.

Words Starting With 干

干净gān jìng
clean; neat
干杯gān bēi
to drink a toast; Cheers! (proposing a toast); Here's to you!; Bottoms up!; lit. dry cup
干燥gān zào
"to dry (of weather, paint, cement etc); desiccation; dull; uninteresting; arid"
干脆gān cuì
straightforward; clear-cut; blunt (e.g. statement); you might as well; simply
干扰gān rǎo
to interfere; obstruction

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Homophones

干gān
do
杆gān
pole, staff
肝gān
liver
甘gān
(bound form) sweet