竿 (gān) - Meaning, Stroke Order & Audio

竿

gān[gan1]Tone 1

pole

HSK 7

Guru Deep Dive

English · pole

Cached lesson

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Topology:Left-right

Strokes:9

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (bamboo radical) should be slightly narrower than the right side (干), keeping the overall width balanced and avoiding leaning too far to either side.

1. Meaning

pole, rod, bamboo pole

measuring poleclassifier for long thin objects

NounNeutral#objects#tools#nature

Sample Usage

竹竿
zhú gān
bamboo pole
钓竿
diào gān
fishing rod

2. Sound

/[kan⁵⁵]/Tone: 55

竿

gāngan1

¯(55)

=gān

Build the syllable

Step-by-step blending

gan

Tone mark placement: Tone mark sits on "a" per main-vowel priority (a > e > o; in -iu/-ui the mark takes the second vowel).

Initial Consonant

Type: Unaspirated Velar

Sounds like: hard g sound as in 'go'

Unaspirated

Airflow Tactile Test: No burst of air (sounds like 'c' in Vietnamese 'cá' or 'k' in English 'skate').

Tongue & Mouth Position: Back of the tongue raises against the soft palate

Final Rhyme

Vowel Group: -a vowel group

Sounds like: -an rhymes with 'on' or the 'un' in 'bund'

Mouth Shape Guide: Pronounce as standalone vowel 'ahn'.

Common Learner Trap: Keep vowel quality steady across all 4 tone contours.

Tone

T1 (55)

5 → 5 (55)

1st Tone (High-Flat)

Tone Pitch & Cadence: Tone 1 is a high, steady pitch, similar to the flat pitch of a musical note held steady without rising or falling.

👂

Listening trap: Confusing the high level tone (Tone 1) with the rising tone (Tone 2), changing the meaning or sounding unnatural.

👋

Physical Tone Gesture: Keep your hand flat and steady at a high level in front of your chest, mirroring a high, flat musical pitch.

3. Writing

Topology: Left-right · Strokes: 9 strokes

Writing Balance Rule: The left side (bamboo radical) should be slightly narrower than the right side (干), keeping the overall width balanced and avoiding leaning too far to either side.

4. Components

Radical ⺮ · Bamboo Radical (bamboo)

Semantic Clue (形旁): ⺮ (indicates that the object is made of bamboo or related to a thin stalk)

Phonetic Clue (声旁): 干 (original sound: gān)

The character combines the bamboo radical (⺮) on the left with the phonetic and structural base 'dry' (干) on the right, signifying a dried bamboo pole.

⺮ bamboo material/nature
干 provides the sound 'gān'

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

17· Phonetic Root: 干 (gān)

5. History

Liushu category: Phono-semantic (形声)

Origin: Originally formed to describe tall, straight bamboo stems used as poles. The bamboo radical denotes the material, while 干 provides the pronunciation.

Semantic Evolution: From specifically referring to a bamboo stalk or pole, it extended to mean any long, slender rod or pole, such as fishing rods or flagpoles.

Bamboo poles were essential tools in ancient China for carrying loads, drying clothes, and fishing.

6. Sinosphere

7. Memory

Vivid Mnemonic Story

Imagine walking through a bamboo (⺮) forest where you dry (干) your long fishing poles in the sun. Every pole stands tall and straight at high noon.

Phonetic Family (形声字家族)

干

gāndry, clean, shield, concernPhonetic Core (声旁)

赶

gǎnto catch up, rush, drive away+ 走 (run)

汗

hánkhan (ruler)+ 氵 (water)

刊

kānpublication, to print, to carve+ 刂 (knife)

Explore this family →

Lookalikes & Traps (形近字)

干(gān)

Missing the bamboo radical (⺮) at the top left; means 'dry' or 'to do'.

8. Mastery

Active Recall Challenge

他在河边用长长的竹[___]钓鱼。

Clue: gān

Common Learner Pitfall

Confusing it with the standalone character '干' (gān) and forgetting to include the bamboo radical (⺮) when writing '竿'.

Memory Prompts

Recognition: What does '竿' mean and how is it pronounced?

Production: How do you write the character for 'pole' (gān) using the bamboo radical?

竿gānpole

Speed:

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