Meaning of 岸
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- bank; shore; beach; coast
- variant of 岸[an4]
How to use 岸
岸 usually appears in compounds like 海岸 (hǎi'àn, seacoast), 岸边 (ànbiān, shore) and 上岸 (shàng'àn, to go ashore). Example: 我们在岸边散步。(Wǒmen zài ànbiān sànbù.) We took a walk along the shore.
岸 (àn) has 山 (shān, mountain) on top of 厂 (a cliff shape) with 干 (gān) below. Picture a steep rocky cliff rising beside the water, and that high edge is the shore.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 炭 (tàn, charcoal), which also has 山 on top but has 灰 underneath instead of 厂 and 干. Also keep the fourth tone in 岸 (àn) and do not confuse it with 安 (ān, peaceful).
岸 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
岸 àn · bank · 8 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 岸.
| 岸上 | àn shang | ashore; on the riverbank |
| 两岸 | liǎng'àn | bilateral; both shores |
| 海岸 | hǎi'àn | coastal; seacoast |
| 沿岸 | yán'àn | coastal area; littoral or riparian |
| 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 |
Questions about 岸
What does 岸 mean?
岸 (àn) means "bank; shore; beach; coast" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 岸?
岸 is made of 1 character: 岸 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 岸 an HSK word?
Yes. 岸 is on the HSK 5 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What does 两岸 (liǎng'àn) mean in the news?
Literally it means both shores. In news and political contexts it usually refers to the two sides of the Taiwan Strait, mainland China and Taiwan.
What does 上岸 mean in modern slang?
Besides going ashore, 上岸 (shàng'àn) is now used for reaching a stable, secure life after a hard period. People often say it after passing the civil service exam or getting into graduate school, as in 他终于上岸了 (tā zhōngyú shàng'àn le).