钢 meaning and stroke order
Steel
How to write 钢, stroke by stroke
9 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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- 5
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- 9
Meaning of 钢
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- steel
How 钢 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Metal.
钅 gives the meaning and 冈 hints at the sound.
Radical: 钅 (gold), shared by 223 characters on this site.
How to remember 钢
The metal radical 钅 on the left tells you this is a metal, and 冈 (gāng) on the right gives the sound. Picture a ridge of hills, which is what 冈 means, made of hard metal: a ridge of steel.
钢 (gāng) means steel, and it shows up in everyday words for things that contain metal parts, such as 钢琴 (gāngqín) piano and 钢笔 (gāngbǐ) fountain pen. Example: 她每天练钢琴。 (Tā měitiān liàn gāngqín.) She practices piano every day.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 钢 (gāng) with 刚 (gāng, just now), which shares the same right side and sound but uses the knife radical 刂. Writing 刚琴 for piano is a common error. Remember that steel needs the metal radical 钅.
Common words with 钢
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
钢 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 钢
How many strokes are in 钢?
钢 is written with 9 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 钢 mean?
钢 (gāng) means steel. A common word with it is 钢琴 (gāngqín), meaning "piano".
How do you pronounce 钢?
钢 is pronounced gāng, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 钢?
The radical of 钢 is 钅, which carries the idea of "gold". Dictionaries list 钢 under this radical.
What is the traditional form of 钢?
The traditional form of 钢 is 鋼. Traditional characters are used in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau; 钢 is the simplified form used in mainland China and Singapore.
Is 钢 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 钢 is part of the HSK 5 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why does the word for piano contain the character for steel?
钢琴 (gāngqín) literally means steel stringed instrument, named for the metal strings and frame inside a piano. In the same way, 钢笔 (gāngbǐ) is a pen with a metal nib.
What is the difference between 钢 and 铁?
铁 (tiě) means iron, and 钢 (gāng) means steel, the harder, refined form. Together, 钢铁 (gāngtiě) is the general word for steel and is also used figuratively for something very strong, as in 钢铁般的意志 (gāngtiě bān de yìzhì), a will of steel.