干 U+5E72, 干 ← 幱[U+5E71] CJK Unified Ideographs 平 →[U+5E73] ⼲ U+2F32, ⼲ ← ⼱[U+2F31] Kangxi Radicals ⼳ →[U+2F33] Stroke order Stroke order

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

  1. Shuowen Jiezi radical number 47.
  • Appendix:Chinese radical/干
  • 迀, 赶, 刊, 邗, 攼, 䧲, 頇(顸), 鳱, 厈, 芉, 旱, 癷, 䍐, 䍑, 竿, 罕, 閈(闬), 㶣, 㿻, 衎, 哶, 䖫
  • 仠, 奸, 屽, 㢨, 忓, 扞, 汗, 犴, 旰, 杆, 㶥, 㸩, 玕, 肝, 皯, 盰, 矸, 秆, 衦, 虷, 姧, 訐(讦), 豻, 軒(轩), 酐, 釬(𬬧), 靬, 飦(𫗞), 馯(𫘛), 骭, 䵟, 鼾
  • 乾, 幹 (Traditional forms of 干)
  • 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

Pictogram (象形) of a shield with feather ornaments on top; in some versions in oracle bones, the central and flat part of the shield can be seen as 回.

As an alternative, it is possible 干 and 單 are variant forms of the same character in oracle bone script due to their similar shapes and its appearance in the original forms of 敢. Hence, 干 would depict a bifurcated hunting weapon, not a shield. But 單 has two dots on top that depict two stones, while these two dots are absent in 干.

Also borrowed phonetically as a simplification of 乾 (dry) and 幹. See also 盾 (the pictogram of another shield) and its possible differentiation 古.

The interpretation that links this pictogram to a pestle is folk etymology. Unrelated to 午, which however represents a pestle.

simp. and trad. alternative forms 𬼽

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

  1. to concern; to be implicated in; implication 這事與我無。 [MSC, trad.]这事与我无。 [MSC, simp.]Zhè shì yǔ wǒ wú gān. [Pinyin]It has nothing to do with me.
  2. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) 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,操戚以舞。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: The Classic of Mountains and SeasXíngtiān 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. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to request; to ask
  4. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to offend; to encroach on
  5. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to interfere; to intervene
  6. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) bank; edge of water bodies 江jiānggān ― (please add an English translation of this usage example) 河gān ― river bank
  7. 8th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; “opposition” (𝌍)
  8. short for 天干 (tiāngān, “heavenly stem”)
  9. group (of people) 一人 ― gān rén ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  10. A place in modern Yangzhou. Synonym: 邗 (Hán) 越夷貉之子,生而同聲,長而異俗,教使之然也。 [MSC, trad.]越夷貉之子,生而同声,长而异俗,教使之然也。 [MSC, simp.]Gānyuè yíhé zhī zǐ, shēng ér tóng shēng, cháng ér yì sú, jiào shǐ zhī rán yě. [Pinyin](please add an English translation of this usage example)
  11. alternative form of / (“dry”)
  12. alternative form of / (jiàn, “brook; stream”)
  13. alternative form of (“rock”)
  14. a surname
  15. (Mainland China Hokkien) in vain; for nothing
  16. Used in transcription. 塔克拉瑪/塔克拉玛Tǎkèlāmǎgān ― Taklamakan維爾/布维尔 ― gānwéi’ěr ― Bougainville 烏達/乌达 ― gān ― Uganda
  • (in vain): 白 (bái)

  1. to defend
  2. to establish
  • → Lao: ກັນ (kan)
  • → Shan: ၵၼ် (kǎn)
  • → Tai Dam: ꪀꪽ
  • → Thai: กัน (gan)

For pronunciation and definitions of – 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.

For pronunciation and definitions of – 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.

For pronunciation and definitions of – 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). For pronunciation and definitions of – see 贛 (“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.

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

  • 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, )、おかす (okasu, 干す)
  • 干(たて)城(き) (tateki)

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

From Middle Chinese 干 (MC kan).

  • IPA(key): [kã̠ɴ]

干(かん) • (kan)

  1. shield
  2. interfere, invade

(shield):

  • 干(かん)戈(か) (kanka)

(interfere, invade):

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

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

is a daiyōji replacing .

  • IPA(key): [kã̠ɴ]

干(かん) • (kan)

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

Kanji in this term 干 ひGrade: 6 kun’yomi Alternative spelling 乾

From the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren’yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 干(ひ)る (hiru, “to dry”) or its Classical form 干(ふ) (fu).

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

干(ひ) • (hi)

  1. drying; dryness

干(ひ) • (hi-)

  1. (prefixed to nouns) dry
  • 干(ひ)物(もの) (himono)

干(ひ) • (hi)

  1. imperfective and stem (or continuative) forms of 干る (hiru) [ichidan]
  2. (Classical Japanese) irrealis and stem (or continuative) forms of (fu) [nidan]

Kanji in this term 干 ふGrade: 6 kun’yomi Alternative spelling 乾

干(ふ) • (fu) intransitive †nidan

  1. (Classical Japanese, archaic) to dry
  • 干(ひ)る (hiru)

(eumhun 방패 간 (bangpae gan))

  1. shield

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

  • Kun: ふすん (fusun, 干すん)

(can, cán)

  1. Nôm form of can (“heavenly stem”).
  2. Nôm form of cán (“stem; trunk”).

(can)

  1. Nôm form of can (“to dissuade”).
  • Dương Nhật Thanh; Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003), Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎[1] (in Tày and Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học xã hội [Social Sciences Publishing House]

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

  1. chữ Hán form of can (“to intervene; to concern”)