擀 (gǎn) — to roll out (dough, pastry) with a rolling pin

Definition

擀 (gǎn) means to roll out dough with a rolling pin — specifically a cooking action on pastry or dumpling wrappers, not a general 'roll'.

verb

to roll out (dough, pastry) with a rolling pin

Easily confused

擀。
Mā ma zhèng zài chú fáng lǐ gǎn jiǎo zi pí.
Mom is rolling out dumpling wrappers in the kitchen.
擀。
Bǎ miàn tuán gǎn chéng báo piàn jiù kě yǐ le.
Just roll the dough into a thin sheet.
擀。
Tā yòng gǎn miàn zhàng bǎ bǐng gǎn dé hěn jūn yún.
He used a rolling pin to roll the pancake very evenly.

Sound + meaning

六书liùshū

形声xíngshēng

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

幹

幹gàn擀gǎn

Same sound today

擀 combines 手 (hand), marking an action done with the hands, and 幹, which gives its sound.