干

See also: 乾, 幹, 于, 午, 千, 半, and 榦

干 U+5E72, 干 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5E72 ← 幱 [U+5E71] CJK Unified Ideographs 平 → [U+5E73]

⼲ U+2F32, ⼲ KANGXI RADICAL DRY ← ⼱ [U+2F31] Kangxi Radicals ⼳ → [U+2F33]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

干 (Kangxi radical 51, 干+0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 一十 (MJ), four-corner 1040₀, composition ⿱一十)

1. Shuowen Jiezi radical №47

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/干
• 仠, 𭆺, 奸, 𡯋, 屽, 𢁗, 㢨, 忓, 扞, 汗, 犴, 𨸗, 迀, 旰, 杆, 㶥, 㸩, 𭕍, 玕, 肝, 𤮽, 𤰟, 𤽂, 皯, 盰, 矸, 𥘏, 秆, 衦, 𥾍, 𦏹, 虷, 姧, 訐(讦), 豻, 赶, 𧿂, 軒(轩), 酐, 𭀧, 𡱭, 釬(𬬧), 𩈅, 靬, 𩎒(𬰱), 飦(𫗞), 𭒋, 馯(𫘛), 骭, 𩵟, 𩾝, 𪌃, 䵟, 𪔆, 𬏎, 鼾, 𪗙
• 刊, 邗, 攼, 𤿊, 𧰪, 䧲, 頇(顸), 鳱, 𪚒, 𪚟, 𫢉, 𠣍, 厈, 𡵃, 𢇛, 芉, 旱, 𣬂, 𤰠, 𤴲, 癷, 𥝝, 𥤱, 𢦡, 䍐, 䍑, 𦉻, 竿, 罕, 閈(闬), 𩂀, 𫹯, 㶣, 𤮻, 㿻, 𭅖, 衎, 哶, 𢒑, 䖫, 𢿂

Related characters

• 乾, 幹 (Traditional forms of 干)

References

• KangXi: page 339, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9165
• Dae Jaweon: page 645, character 22
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 405, character 5
• Unihan data for U+5E72

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 干
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (干) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
訐	*krads, *krads, *ked, *kad
肝	*kaːn
竿	*kaːn
干	*kaːn
奸	*kaːn
玕	*kaːn
汗	*kaːn, *ɡaːn, *ɡaːns
迀	*kaːn
忓	*kaːn, *ɡaːns
鳱	*kaːn
邗	*kaːn, *ɡaːn
秆	*kaːnʔ
矸	*kaːnʔ, *kaːns, *ɡaːns
仠	*kaːnʔ
皯	*kaːnʔ
衦	*kaːnʔ
簳	*kaːnʔ
擀	*kaːnʔ
旰	*kaːns
盰	*kaːns
幹	*kaːns
杆	*kaːns
骭	*kaːns, *ɡraːns
桿	*kaːnʔ
趕	*kaːnʔ
稈	*kaːnʔ
刊	*kʰaːn
靬	*kʰaːn, *kʰaːns, *kreːn, *kan
衎	*kʰaːnʔ, *kʰaːns
犴	*ŋaːn, *ŋaːns
豻	*ŋaːn, *ŋaːns, *ɦŋaːns, *ŋ̊ʰraːn
頇	*ŋaːns, *hŋaːn, *ŋaːd
岸	*ŋɡaːns
鼾	*qʰaːn, *ɢaːns
罕	*qʰaːnʔ, *qʰaːns
焊	*qʰaːnʔ, *ɡaːns
蔊	*qʰaːnʔ
虷	*ɡaːn
旱	*ɡaːnʔ
皔	*ɡaːnʔ
釬	*ɡaːns
扞	*ɡaːns
閈	*ɡaːns
馯	*ɡaːns, *kʰraːn
捍	*ɡaːns, *ɡraːnʔ
悍	*ɡaːns
銲	*ɡaːns
垾	*ɡaːns
駻	*ɡaːns
睅	*ɡʷranʔ
娨	*ɡraːns
飦	*kan
赶	*ɡan, *ɡʷad
軒	*qʰan
蓒	*qʰan
酐	*qʰaːŋʔ
澣	*ɡʷaːnʔ

Pictogram (象形) – a pestle or a weapon, since it can mean "shield" (午, which is similar, is a pestle).

Also borrowed phonetically as a simplification of 乾 (dry) and 幹.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		干
alternative forms		𬼽

Sino-Tibetan. Cognate with 扞 (OC *ɡaːns, “to shield; to protect”), 閈 (OC *ɡaːns, “gate”). Compare Tibetan འགལ ('gal, “to go against, to violate, to contradict”), Burmese ကာ (ka, “shield; to shield; to block”).

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gān (gan¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gon¹
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kôn
• Jin (Wiktionary): gan¹
• Min Bei (KCR): gúing
• Min Dong (BUC): găng
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): kan

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gang¹

• Wu (Wiktionary): ¹koe

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gān
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gan
    • Wade–Giles: kan¹
    • Yale: gān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gan
    • Palladius: гань (ganʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gon¹
    • Yale: gōn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gon¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gon¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔːn⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kôn
    • Hakka Romanization System: gon´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gon¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kon²⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: gan¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /kæ̃¹¹/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gúing
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuiŋ⁵⁴/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: găng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kan
    • Tâi-lô: kan
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kafn
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kan³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kan⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gang¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ³³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: ¹koe
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kø⁵³/

---

• Middle Chinese: /kɑn/

Rime
Character	干
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	寒 (61)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古寒切
Baxter	kan
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/kɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/kɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kan/
Li Rong	/kɑn/
Wang Li	/kɑn/
Bernard Karlgren	/kɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gon1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤar/, /*kˤa[r]/, /*kˤar/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kaːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	干	干	干	干
Reading #	1/4	2/4	3/4	4/4
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	gān	gān	gān	gān
Middle Chinese	‹ kan ›	‹ kan ›	‹ kan ›	‹ kan ›
Old Chinese	/*[k]ˁar/	/*kˁa[r]/	/*kˁar/	/*kˁar/
English	pole	shield (n.)	piece, item	(placename)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	干
Reading #	1/1
No.	3570
Phonetic component	干
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	干
Old Chinese	/*kaːn/

Definitions

干

1. to concern; to be implicated in; implication

   這事與我無干。／这事与我无干。  ―  Zhè shì yǔ wǒ wú gān.  ―  It has nothing to do with me.

2. ^† a shield

   • 形天與帝至此（奇肱之國）爭神，帝斷其首，葬之長羊之山。乃以乳為目，以臍為口，操干戚以舞。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     形天与帝至此（奇肱之国）争神，帝断其首，葬之长羊之山。乃以乳为目，以脐为口，操干戚以舞。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Mountains and Seas

     Xíngtiān yǔ dì zhì cǐ (jī gōng zhī guó) zhēng shén, dì duàn qí shǒu, zàng zhī chángyáng zhī shān. Nǎi yǐ rǔ wéi mù, yǐ qí wéi kǒu, cāo gān qī yǐ wǔ. [Pinyin]

     When Xingtian fought with the Supreme Deity there (the land of people with odd/uneven upper-arms), the Supreme Deity decapitated him and buried his head at Changyang Mountain. [But Xingtian's] nipples became his eyes, his belly button became his mouth and the thrusting of his shield and battle-axe became his dance.

3. ^† to request; to ask
4. ^† to offend; to encroach on
5. ^† to interfere; to intervene
6. ^† bank; edge of water bodies

   江干  ―  jiānggān  ―  (please add an English translation of this example)

   河干  ―  hégān  ―  river bank

7. 8th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "opposition" (𝌍)
8. Short for 天干 (tiāngān, “heavenly stem”).
9. group (of people)

   一干人  ―  yī gān rén  ―  (please add an English translation of this example)

10. Alternative form of 乾／干 (gān, “dry”).
11. Alternative form of 澗／涧 (jiàn, “brook; stream”).
12. Alternative form of 矸 (gān, “rock”).
13. a surname
14. (Mainland China Hokkien) in vain; for nothing

Synonyms

• (in vain): 白 (bái)

Compounds

Derived terms from 干

• 一干
• 不干 (bùgān)
• 不相干 (bùxiānggān)
• 不肯干休
• 丹干
• 何干 (hégān)
• 倒持干戈 (dàochí gāngē)
• 倒置干戈
• 冇相干 (Cantontese)
• 刺干
• 十干 (shígān)
• 天干 (tiāngān)
• 天干地支
• 奉干
• 射干 (yègān)
• 干云蔽日 (“tall trees covering the sun”)
• 干仕
• 干伏
• 干休 (gānxiū)
• 干卿何事
• 干卿底事
• 干呆
• 干城
• 干惹
• 干戈 (gāngē, “weapons of war”)
• 干戚
• 干支 (gānzhī, “the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches”)
• 干政 (gānzhèng)
• 干旄
• 干求
• 干涉 (gānshè, “to intervene”)
• 干焦 (“kan-na”) (Min Nan)
• 干犯 (gānfàn, “to encroach on”)
• 干累
• 干羽
• 德干高原
• 斯干
• 日干
• 朱干玉戚
• 染干

• 比干
• 毫不相干
• 江干
• 白干
• 相干 (xiānggān)
• 若干 (ruògān)
• 莫干山 (Mògān Shān)
• 豆干
• 豆腐干
• 邪不干正 (xiébùgānzhèng)
• 非意相干
• 不氣干／不气干
• 俠氣干雲／侠气干云
• 倒載干戈／倒载干戈
• 加拉干達／加拉干达
• 動干戈／动干戈
• 善罷干休／善罢干休
• 塔什庫爾干／塔什库尔干 (Tǎshíkù'ěrgān)
• 塔克拉瑪干／塔克拉玛干 (Tǎkèlāmǎgān)
• 大動干戈／大动干戈
• 布干維爾／布干维尔 (Bùgānwéi'ěr)
• 干係／干系 (gānxì, “implication”)
• 干名犯義／干名犯义
• 干名采譽／干名采誉
• 干寶／干宝
• 干將／干将 (Gānjiāng)
• 干將莫邪／干将莫邪 (gānjiāng-mòyé)
• 干戈載戢／干戈载戢
• 干擾／干扰 (gānrǎo, “to interfere”)
• 干擾素／干扰素 (gānrǎosù, “interferon”)
• 干時／干时
• 干樂／干乐 (kan-lo̍k) (Min Nan)
• 干櫓／干橹
• 干涉現象／干涉现象 (“interference”)
• 干澤／干泽
• 干瀆／干渎
• 干礙／干碍
• 干祿／干禄
• 干紀／干纪

• 干結／干结
• 干罰／干罚
• 干罷／干罢
• 干與／干与 (“to intervene”)
• 干請／干请
• 干謁／干谒
• 干證／干证 (“witness”)
• 干證人／干证人
• 干譽／干誉
• 干貝／干贝
• 干連／干连 (“implication”)
• 干進／干进
• 干雲／干云
• 干雲蔽日／干云蔽日
• 干青雲／干青云
• 干預／干预 (gānyù, “to intervene”)
• 干鳥／干鸟
• 干鳥氣／干鸟气
• 干黷／干黩
• 擔干係／担干系
• 擔干紀／担干纪
• 更待干罷／更待干罢
• 東干／东干 (Dōnggān)
• 欄干／栏干
• 沽名干譽／沽名干誉
• 烏干達／乌干达 (Wūgāndá)
• 無干／无干 (wúgān)
• 無相干／无相干 (Teochew, Hainanese)
• 矯情干譽／矫情干誉
• 義氣干霄／义气干霄
• 耽干繫／耽干系
• 薩利吉勒干南庫勒／萨利吉勒干南库勒 (Sàlìjílègānnánkùlè)
• 蘭干／兰干 (Lángān)
• 豪氣干雲／豪气干云
• 鐵干里克／铁干里克 (Tiěgānlǐkè)
• 長干巷／长干巷
• 長干曲／长干曲
• 闌干／阑干 (lángān)
• 陰干／阴干

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gàn (gan⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄢˋ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gàn
    • Wade–Giles: kan⁴
    • Yale: gàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gann
    • Palladius: гань (ganʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kän⁵¹/

Definitions

干

1. to defend
2. to establish

Descendants

• → Lao: ກັນ (kan)
• → Shan: ၵၼ် (kǎn)
• → Tai Dam: ꪀꪽ
• → Thai: กัน (gan)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 乾 (“dry; moistureless; waterless; arid; to dry; to exhaust; etc.”). (This character, 干, is the simplified and variant form of 乾.)

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 幹 (“main part of something; body; trunk; to do; etc.”). (This character, 干, is the simplified form of 幹.)

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Etymology 4

For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 豻 (“a kind of wild dog from northern China, resembling a fox with a black snout; etc.”). (This character, 干, is a variant form of 豻.)

Etymology 5

For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 贛 (“Gan River; Jiangxi, a province of China.; etc.”). (This character, 干, is the second-round simplified form of 贛.)

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Japanese

Kanji

干

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
• Kun: ほす (hosu, 干す, Jōyō); ひる (hiru, 干る, Jōyō); たて (tate, 干); おかす (okasu, 干す)

Compounds

• 干(たて)城(き) (tateki)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
干
かん Grade: 6
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 干 (MC kɑn).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kã̠ɴ]

Affix

干(かん) • (kan) 

1. shield
2. interfere, invade

Derived terms

shield

• 干(かん)戈(か) (kanka)

interfere, invade

• 干(かん)渉(しょう) (kanshō)
• 干(かん)犯(ぱん) (kanpan)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
干
かん Grade: 6
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
旱

干 is a daiyōji replacing 旱.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kã̠ɴ]

Affix

干(かん) • (kan) 

1. dry

Derived terms

• 干(かん)害(がい) (kangai)
• 干(かん)天(てん) (kanten)
• 干(かん)魃(ばつ) (kanbatsu)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
干
ひ Grade: 6
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
乾

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ひ​ [híꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [çi]

Noun

干(ひ) • (hi) 

1. (prefixed to nouns) dry

Derived terms

• 干(ひ)物(もの) (himono)

Korean

Hanja

干 (eumhun 방패 간 (bangpae gan))

1. shield

Okinawan

Kanji

干

(grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Kun: ふすん (fusun, 干すん)

Vietnamese

Han character

干: Hán Việt readings: can
干: Nôm readings: can, càn, cán, cơn

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.