扛 meaning and stroke order
To carry on one's shoulder; (fig.) to take on (a burden, duty etc)
How to write 扛, 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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- 6
Meaning of 扛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to carry on one's shoulder
- (fig.) to take on (a burden, duty etc)
- to raise aloft with both hands
- (of two or more people) to carry sth together
- old variant of 扛[gang1]
How 扛 is built
Ideographic (compound meaning) character. Labor 工 done by hand 扌; 工 also provides the pronunciation.
Radical: 扌 (hand), shared by 342 characters on this site.
How to remember 扛
The hand 扌 on the left does the work 工 (gōng) on the right. Picture a worker hoisting a heavy load onto his shoulder by hand.
扛 (káng) is used for carrying something big on one shoulder, like a bag of rice or a camera. It is also used figuratively for shouldering pressure or responsibility, as in 扛住压力 (káng zhù yālì, to withstand pressure). Example: 他扛着一袋米回家。 (Tā kángzhe yí dài mǐ huí jiā.) He carried a bag of rice home on his shoulder.
Common mistake: Learners often read 扛 as gōng or gāng because of 工, but in everyday speech it is almost always káng with a rising tone. Also do not confuse it with 抬 (tái), which means two or more people lifting something together, or with 背 (bēi), which means carrying on the back.
扛 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 扛
How many strokes are in 扛?
扛 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 扛 mean?
扛 (káng) means to carry on one's shoulder; (fig.) to take on (a burden, duty etc).
How do you pronounce 扛?
扛 is pronounced káng, in the second tone (rising).
What is the radical of 扛?
The radical of 扛 is 扌, which carries the idea of "hand". Dictionaries list 扛 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 扛?
The traditional form of 扛 is 摃. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 扛 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 扛 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 扛 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
When is 扛 pronounced gāng?
The reading gāng is used in a few literary or set phrases meaning to lift something high with both hands, such as 力能扛鼎 (lì néng gāng dǐng), strong enough to lift a bronze cauldron. In normal conversation you will use káng.
What does 扛不住 mean in casual speech?
扛不住 (káng bú zhù) means you cannot hold up or cannot bear something any longer, like stress, cold, or tiredness. For example, 我快扛不住了 (Wǒ kuài káng bú zhù le) means I can barely hold on.