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 Dictionary: 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

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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

For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 乾 (“dry; moistureless; waterless; arid; to dry; to exhaust; etc.”). (This character 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 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 幹 (“main part of something; body; trunk; to do; etc.”). (This character 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 3

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
• Northern Min (KCR): gúing
• Eastern Min (BUC): găng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kan

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gang¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹koe

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• 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^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gon¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kon²⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: gan¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /kæ̃¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gúing
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuiŋ⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: găng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (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
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹koe
    • MiniDict: koe^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹koe
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kø⁵³/

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• Middle Chinese: kan

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

(deprecated template usage) 干

1. to concern; to be implicated in; implication

   這事與我無干。 [MSC, trad.]
   这事与我无干。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè shì yǔ wǒ wú gān. [Pinyin]

   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 usage 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 usage example)

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

Synonyms

• (in vain): 白 (bái)

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gàn (gan⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄢˋ

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• 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

(deprecated template usage) 干

1. to defend
2. to establish

Descendants

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

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 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 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.

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

干

(Sixth grade 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 kan).

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.

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

Noun

干(ひ) • (hi) 

1. (prefixed to nouns) dry

Derived terms

• 干(ひ)物(もの) (himono)

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Korean

Hanja

干 (eumhun 방패 간 (bangpae gan))

1. shield

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Okinawan

Kanji

干

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• Kun: ふすん (fusun, 干すん)

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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}}.