关 meaning and stroke order
Mountain pass; to close; to shut; to turn off; to confine; to lock (sb) up; to shut (sb in a room, a bird in a cage etc)
How to write 关, stroke by stroke
6 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
- 1
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- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Meaning of 关
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- mountain pass
- to close; to shut; to turn off
- to confine; to lock (sb) up; to shut (sb in a room, a bird in a cage etc)
- to concern; to involve
How 关 is built
Components of the character.
Radical: 丷 (kwukyel), shared by 8 characters on this site.
How to remember 关
Picture 丷 as two latches sitting on top of 天 (sky). When you flip the two latches down, you shut the gate and close off the sky behind the mountain pass.
关 (guān) is used for closing doors and switching things off, and it also appears in words about connection, like 关系 (guānxì) and 关心 (guānxīn). The phrase 没关系 (méi guānxi) is one of the most common polite replies in daily life. Example: 请把灯关上。(Qǐng bǎ dēng guānshang.) Please turn off the light.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 关 with 天 (tiān) or 美 (měi) because they share a similar lower part; 关 has only the two short strokes 丷 on top with no extra horizontal lines above 天. Also, in 没关系 the 系 is usually said in the neutral tone (méi guānxi), not with a full fourth tone.
Common words with 关
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 没关系 | méi guānxi | it doesn't matter | HSK 1 |
| 关上 | guānshang | to close (a door); to turn off (light, electrical equipment etc) | HSK 1 |
| 关心 | guānxīn | to be concerned about; to care about | HSK 2 |
| 关机 | guānjī | to turn off (a machine or device); to finish shooting a film | HSK 2 |
| 关系 | guānxì | relation; relationship; connection; to concern; to involve; to affect | HSK 3 |
| 关注 | guānzhù | to pay attention to; to follow sth closely; to follow (on social media); concern; interest | HSK 3 |
| 相关 | xiāngguān | related; relevant | HSK 3 |
| 海关 | hǎiguān | customs (i.e. border crossing inspection) | HSK 3 |
| 关于 | guānyú | pertaining to; concerning | HSK 4 |
| 关闭 | guānbì | to close; to shut (a window etc); (of a shop, school etc) to shut down | HSK 4 |
| 关键 | guānjiàn | crucial point; crux | HSK 5 |
| 关怀 | guānhuái | care; solicitude | HSK 5 |
| 有关 | yǒuguān | to have sth to do with; to relate to | HSK 6 |
| 无关 | wúguān | unrelated; having nothing to do (with sth else) | HSK 6 |
关 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Characters that contain 关
Learning 关 makes these easier to recognize and write.
Questions about 关
How many strokes are in 关?
关 is written with 6 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 关 mean?
关 (guān) means mountain pass; to close; to shut; to turn off; to confine; to lock (sb) up; to shut (sb in a room, a bird in a cage etc). A common word with it is 没关系 (méi guānxi), meaning "it doesn't matter".
How do you pronounce 关?
关 is pronounced guān, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 关?
The radical of 关 is 丷, which carries the idea of "kwukyel". Dictionaries list 关 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 关?
The traditional form of 关 is 關. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 关 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 关 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 关 is part of the HSK 1 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 1.
How do you say turn off the TV or phone in Chinese?
Use 关 with the device: 关电视 (guān diànshì) means turn off the TV. For phones and computers, 关机 (guānjī) means to power the device off, and its opposite is 开机 (kāijī).
What is the opposite of 关?
The opposite is 开 (kāi), meaning to open or turn on. They pair naturally, as in 开门 (kāi mén) open the door and 关门 (guān mén) close the door.