Definition
干 (gàn) is a go-to verb for 'doing' or 'working on' anything in casual Chinese. You'll hear it in 干什么 ('what are you doing') and 干活 ('do work'). Unlike 做, 干 feels more colloquial and direct. Be careful: the same character read gān means 'dry', and some slang meanings exist but are not appropriate for polite conversation.
verb
to doto workto manage (a task)
Easily confused
- 干gānlook-alikedry (adjective)
- 敢gǎnsound-aliketo dare, to be bold enough to (do something)
- 于yúlook-alike(preposition) at, in, on (used in formal/literary contexts for time or place)
- 感gǎnsound-alike(suffix) sense of ∼; feeling of ∼ (forms abstract nouns)
- 千qiānlook-alikethousand
- 赶gǎnsound-aliketo catch (a vehicle, event), to make it in time for
- 杆gǎnsound-alike(noun) a stick, pole, or lever
- 肝gānsound-alikeliver (organ)
Examples
- ？Nǐ gàn shénme?What are you doing?
- 。Tā gàn huó hěn nǔlì.He works very hard.
- 干。Nǐ gàn de hěn hǎo.You did very well.
Browse more HSK 3 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.