乾 meaning and stroke order
Arid, dry; to fertilize; to penetrate; heavenly generative principle (male)
How to write 乾, stroke by stroke
11 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 乾
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- one of the Eight Trigrams 八卦[ba1 gua4], symbolizing heaven
- male principle
- ☰
- ancient Chinese compass point: 315° (northwest)
- old variant of 乾[qian2]
- variant of 乾[qian2]
How 乾 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Rays 十 emanating from the 日; 乞 provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 乙 (second), shared by 6 characters on this site.
How to remember 乾
The left side 龺 shows rays 十 shining out from the sun 日, and the sun's heat dries things out. The right side 乞 (qǐ) is a sound hint, so picture the sun beaming down until everything is dry and bright like the heavens.
Read as qián, 乾 names the trigram for heaven and the male principle, and it appears most often in the set phrase 乾坤 (qiánkūn), heaven and earth or the universe. Example: 扭转乾坤 (niǔzhuǎn qiánkūn) to turn the world around, to reverse a hopeless situation. In traditional writing it is also read gān with the meaning dry.
Common mistake: In simplified Chinese, dry is written 干 (gān), but 乾 (qián) for heaven is never simplified to 干. Writing 干坤 for 乾坤 is a common error. Also check the right side, which is 乞, not 气 or 乙.
Common words with 乾
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 乾坤 | qiánkūn | yin and yang; heaven and earth; the universe |
Questions about 乾
How many strokes are in 乾?
乾 is written with 11 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 乾 mean?
乾 (gān) means arid, dry; to fertilize; to penetrate; heavenly generative principle (male). A common word with it is 乾坤 (qiánkūn), meaning "yin and yang; heaven and earth; the universe".
How do you pronounce 乾?
乾 is pronounced gān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 乾?
The radical of 乾 is 乙, which carries the idea of "second". Dictionaries list 乾 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 乾?
The traditional form of 乾 is 乹 and 亁. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 乾 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
How do I know whether to read 乾 as qián or gān?
In simplified Chinese texts, 乾 is almost always qián, as in 乾坤 or the trigram of heaven. In traditional texts it can also be gān, meaning dry, as in 乾淨 (gānjìng) clean. Context and the script you are reading tell you which one is meant.
What is the opposite of 乾 in the Eight Trigrams?
The partner of 乾 (qián, heaven) is 坤 (kūn, earth), which stands for the female principle. Together they form 乾坤, meaning the whole universe.