岗 meaning and stroke order
Post; position
How to write 岗, stroke by stroke
7 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 岗
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (bound form) hillock; mound
- sentry post; policeman's beat
- (bound form) job; post
- variant of 岡|冈 [gang1]
How 岗 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Mountain.
山 gives the meaning and 冈 hints at the sound.
Radical: 山 (mountain), shared by 111 characters on this site.
How to remember 岗
岗 is 山 (shān, mountain) on top of 冈 (gāng), which gives the sound. Picture a guard standing on a small hill, keeping watch from his post.
岗 (gǎng) rarely stands alone and mostly appears in words about jobs and duty, such as 岗位 (gǎngwèi) for a job position, 上岗 (shànggǎng) to start work, and 站岗 (zhàngǎng) to stand guard. Example: 他在这个岗位工作了十年。(Tā zài zhège gǎngwèi gōngzuò le shí nián.) He has worked in this position for ten years.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 岗 (gǎng) with 刚 (gāng, just now) and 钢 (gāng, steel) because they share 冈. Remember that only 岗 has 山 on top, and in job words it takes the third tone.
Common words with 岗
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 岗位 | gǎngwèi | a post; a job | HSK 6 |
| 下岗 | xiàgǎng | (of a guard, sentry etc) to come off duty; (of a worker) be to laid off | HSK 7-9 |
| 上岗 | shànggǎng | to take up one's post; to go on duty; to take up a job | HSK 7-9 |
| 站岗 | zhàngǎng | to stand guard; to serve on sentry duty | |
| 岗哨 | gǎngshào | lookout post; sentry post; sentry | |
| 花岗岩 | huāgāngyán | granite |
岗 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 岗
How many strokes are in 岗?
岗 is written with 7 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 岗 mean?
岗 (gǎng) means post; position. A common word with it is 岗位 (gǎngwèi), meaning "a post; a job".
How do you pronounce 岗?
岗 is pronounced gǎng, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 岗?
The radical of 岗 is 山, which carries the idea of "mountain". Dictionaries list 岗 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 岗?
The traditional form of 岗 is 崗. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 岗 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 岗 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 岗 is part of the HSK 6 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 下岗 mean in modern Chinese?
Besides a guard going off duty, 下岗 (xiàgǎng) is well known for workers being laid off, especially from state enterprises in China in the 1990s. 下岗工人 (xiàgǎng gōngrén) means laid-off workers.
Why is 花岗岩 read with gāng instead of gǎng?
In 花岗岩 (huāgāngyán, granite), 岗 is read gāng as a variant of 冈, meaning a ridge or hill. In everyday job and duty words like 岗位, it is read gǎng.