肝 meaning in English
liver (CL:葉|叶[ye4]); (slang) to put in long hours, typically late into the night, playing (a video game)
Meaning of 肝
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- liver (CL:葉|叶[ye4])
- (slang) to put in long hours, typically late into the night, playing (a video game)
- (of a video game) involving a lot of repetition in order to progress; grindy
How to use 肝
In everyday speech 肝 means the liver, and in formal or medical contexts people often say 肝脏 (gānzàng). Among gamers, 肝 is slang for grinding long hours, as a verb or an adjective. Example: 这个游戏太肝了。(Zhège yóuxì tài gān le.) This game is way too grindy.
肝 combines 月 (the flesh radical, meaning body part) with 干 (gān), which gives the sound. Picture a body organ that works hard and dry, like 干, and you have the liver.
Common mistake: Learners often confuse 肝 with 肚 (dù, belly) or 肛 (gāng, anus), since all three use 月 on the left. Check the right side: 干 for liver, 土 for belly, 工 for anus.
肝 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.
肝 gān · liver · 7 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 肝.
Questions about 肝
What does 肝 mean?
肝 (gān) means "liver (CL:葉|叶[ye4]); (slang) to put in long hours, typically late into the night, playing (a video game)" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 肝?
肝 is made of 1 character: 肝 (7 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.
Is 肝 an HSK word?
Yes. 肝 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why does 心肝 mean darling?
The heart and liver were seen as vital organs, so calling someone 心肝 or 心肝宝贝 (xīngān bǎobèi) means they are as precious as your own vital organs. Parents often use it for their children.
How is 肝 used as a verb in gaming slang?
It means to play for very long hours, often staying up late, as if wearing out your liver. For example, 我昨晚肝到三点 (Wǒ zuówǎn gān dào sān diǎn) means I grinded until 3 a.m. last night.