Definition
干 (gān) is the everyday word for 'dry' — used for weather, skin, bread, or anything lacking moisture. It's more general and common in speech than 干燥 (gān zào, 'dry and arid'), which often describes climate or a dull tone, and 干旱 (gān hàn, 'drought-stricken'), which is specific to land and long-term dryness. 干枯 (gān kū) adds the sense of 'withered, shriveled up'.
dry (adjective)
Easily confused
- 干gànlook-aliketo do, to work, to manage (a task)
- 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
- ，。tiānqì hěn gānzào, wǒ de shǒu bù shūfu.The weather is very dry, my hands are uncomfortable.
- 干，。Zhè kuài miànbāo tài gān le, bù néng chī le.This piece of bread is too dry, I can't eat it.
- ，。zhège dìqū hěn gānhàn, hěn shǎo xià yǔ.This area is very dry, it rarely rains.
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