岸 meaning and stroke order
Bank; shore; beach; coast
How to write 岸, stroke by stroke
8 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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- 8
Meaning of 岸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bank; shore; beach; coast
- variant of 岸[an4]
How 岸 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. A mountain 山 cliff 厂; 干 provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 山 (mountain), shared by 111 characters on this site.
How to remember 岸
Picture a mountain 山 on top of a cliff 厂, with 干 (gān) tucked under the cliff giving the sound. A steep cliff edge where land meets water is the shore, 岸 (àn).
岸 rarely stands alone and usually appears in words like 海岸 (hǎi'àn, seacoast), 对岸 (duì'àn, opposite bank) and 岸边 (ànbiān, shore). It covers both river banks and sea coasts. Example: 我们在河岸上散步。(Wǒmen zài hé'àn shang sànbù.) We take a walk on the riverbank.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 干 as 千 under the cliff, adding an extra slanted stroke on top. Others confuse 岸 with 炭 (tàn, charcoal), which also has 山 and 厂 but has 火 at the bottom.
Common words with 岸
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 岸上 | àn shang | ashore; on the riverbank | HSK 5 |
| 两岸 | liǎng'àn | bilateral; both shores | HSK 5 |
| 海岸 | hǎi'àn | coastal; seacoast | HSK 7-9 |
| 沿岸 | yán'àn | coastal area; littoral or riparian | HSK 7-9 |
| 上岸 | shàng'àn | to go ashore; to climb ashore; (fig.) to achieve a stable and secure life after a period o | |
| 岸边 | ànbiān | shore | |
| 海岸线 | hǎi'ànxiàn | coastline; seaboard | |
| 对岸 | duì'àn | opposite bank (of a body of water) | |
| 彼岸 | bǐ'àn | the other shore; (Buddhism) paramita | |
| 河岸 | hé'àn | riverside; river bank | |
| 靠岸 | kào'àn | (of a boat) to reach the shore; to pull toward shore | |
| 离岸 | lí'àn | offshore |
岸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 岸
How many strokes are in 岸?
岸 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 岸 mean?
岸 (àn) means bank; shore; beach; coast. A common word with it is 岸上 (àn shang), meaning "ashore; on the riverbank".
How do you pronounce 岸?
岸 is pronounced àn, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 岸?
The radical of 岸 is 山, which carries the idea of "mountain". Dictionaries list 岸 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 岸?
The traditional form of 岸 is 㟁. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 岸 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 岸 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 岸 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 两岸 (liǎng'àn) mean in the news?
Literally it means both shores, but in news it usually refers to mainland China and Taiwan, across the Taiwan Strait. For example, 两岸关系 (liǎng'àn guānxi) means cross-strait relations.
What does 上岸 (shàng'àn) mean in internet slang?
Besides going ashore, 上岸 is used figuratively for reaching a stable, secure position after a hard struggle. People often say it after passing the civil service exam or getting into graduate school.