槓 meaning and stroke order
Pole, bar; lever, crowbar
How to write 槓, stroke by stroke
14 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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- 14
Meaning of 槓
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- (old) coffin-bearing pole
- thick pole; bar; rod
- bold line; thick stroke
- to mark with a thick line
- to sharpen (a knife, razor etc)
- (slang) to argue; to be deliberately argumentative
How 槓 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Tree.
木 gives the meaning and 貢 hints at the sound.
Radical: 木 (tree), shared by 388 characters on this site.
How to remember 槓
槓 is built from 木 (wood), the meaning part, and 貢 (gòng), the sound part. Picture a long wooden pole, and let 貢 remind you of the sound gàng.
槓 appears mostly in compounds for bars and poles, like 槓鈴 (gànglíng) barbell and 槓桿 (gànggǎn) lever. In slang, 抬槓 (tái gàng) or just 槓 means to argue for the sake of arguing. Example: 他總喜歡跟人抬槓。(Tā zǒng xǐhuan gēn rén tái gàng.) He always likes to argue with people.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes read 槓 as gòng because of the phonetic part 貢, but the character is pronounced gàng with a fourth tone. In simplified Chinese it is written 杠, with 工 instead of 貢, so do not mix the two forms within one text.
Common words with 槓
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 槓鈴 | gànglíng | barbell | HSK 7-9 |
| 槓桿 | gànggǎn | lever; pry bar | |
| 保險槓 | bǎoxiǎngàng | car bumper |
Questions about 槓
How many strokes are in 槓?
槓 is written with 14 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 槓 mean?
槓 (gàng) means pole, bar; lever, crowbar. A common word with it is 杠铃 (gànglíng), meaning "barbell".
How do you pronounce 槓?
槓 is pronounced gàng, in the fourth tone (falling).
What is the radical of 槓?
The radical of 槓 is 木, which carries the idea of "tree". Dictionaries list 槓 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 槓?
槓 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 杠, used in mainland China and Singapore.
What does 槓精 (gàngjīng) mean?
槓精 is internet slang for a person who contradicts everything just to argue. It comes from the slang sense of 槓, to be deliberately argumentative.
Can 槓 be used as a verb?
Yes. It can mean to mark something with a thick line, as in crossing out a word, and it can also mean to sharpen a knife or razor. In casual speech it also means to argue with someone.