杆儿 (gǎn ér) — (coll.) pole, stick

Definition

杆儿 (gānr) is the colloquial, er-hua'd form of 杆 — a general word for a long thin pole or stick (clothes pole, flagpole, cue stick). The non-erhua 杆 is also common; the -r ending just sounds more casual and everyday.

noun
(coll.) polestick
Measure word · 根
Easily confused

Examples

  • 杆儿。
    Tā bǎ yī fu liàng zài gǎn ér shàng.
    He hung the clothes on the pole.
  • 杆儿。
    Qí gān shì gǎn ér de yì zhǒng.
    A flagpole is a type of pole.
  • 杆儿。
    Dǎ tái qiú xū yào yì gēn gǎn ér.
    You need a cue stick to play billiards.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

杆gānpole
儿ércolloquial

杆 denotes a pole or stick, with 儿 giving a colloquial tone.

Characters in this word

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
木木mùtree
Sound part声符shēngfú
干
干gān杆gǎn
Same sound today

杆 pairs 木 (tree) with 干, which gives the sound. The 木 part shows the thing is made of wood.

Open 杆 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The shape 儿 is a simple drawing of a standing person, used as an alternate form of the character for person.

Open 儿 →

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