乾 | Definition of 乾 at Definify

乾	U+4E7E, 乾 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E7E

← 乽
[U+4E7D]

CJK Unified Ideographs

乿 →
[U+4E7F]

See also: 亁 and 干

Translingual

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 乾

**Large seal script**
L32029	L32030	L32031	L32032	L07189	L07190	L07191	L07192
L07193	L07194	L07195	L07196	L07197

**Small seal script**
s10941	s10942

References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
Liushutong (large seal) and
Xu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Characters in the same phonetic series (倝) (Zhengzhang, 2003)
	Old Chinese
乾	kaːn, ɡran
漧	*kaːn
倝	*kaːns
榦	*kaːns
韓	*ɡaːn
鶾	*ɡaːn
翰	ɡaːn, ɡaːns
瀚	*ɡaːns
螒	*ɡaːns
雗	*ɡaːns
斡	*qʷaːd

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *kaːn, *ɡran) : phonetic 倝 ‎(OC *kaːns) + semantic 乙.

Han character

乾 (radical 5 乙+10, 11 strokes, cangjie input 十十人弓 (JJON), four-corner 4841₇, composition ⿰𠦝乞)

References

KangXi: page 84, character 25

Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 204

Dae Jaweon: page 172, character 1

Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 56, character 10

Unihan data for U+4E7E

Chinese

Etymology 1

trad.		乾
simp.		干
alt. forms		亁乹

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kan ‎(“dry, dry up”). Cognate with Burmese ခန်း ‎(hkan:, “to dry up, to evaporate”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin

(Pinyin): gān (gan¹)

(Zhuyin): ㄍㄢ
Cantonese (Jyutping): gon¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kôn
Min Nan (POJ): kan / koaⁿ
Wu (Wiktionary): koe (T1)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
  - Pinyin: gān
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄢ
  - Wade-Giles: kan¹
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gan
  - IPA ^(key): /ka̠n⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: gon¹
  - Yale: gōn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: gon¹
  - IPA ^(key): /kɔːn⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kôn
  - Hakka Romanization System: gon´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: gon¹
  - IPA: /kon²⁴/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kan / koaⁿ
  - Tâi-lô: kan / kuann
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kafn, kvoaf
  - IPA (Xiamen): /kan⁴⁴/, /kuã⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /kan³³/, /kuã³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /kan⁴⁴/, /kuã⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /kan⁴⁴/, /kuã⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /kan⁴⁴/, /kuã⁴⁴/
  - Note: kan - literary; koaⁿ - vernacular.
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: koe (T1)
  - IPA ^(key): /kø⁵³/

Dialectal data▼

Variety	Location	edit 乾 (乾旱)
Mandarin	Beijing	/kan⁵⁵/
	Harbin	/kan⁴⁴/
	Tianjin	/kan²¹/
	Jinan	/kã²¹³/
	Qingdao	/kã²¹³/
	Zhengzhou	/kan²⁴/
	Xi'an	/kã²¹/
	Xining	/kã⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/kan⁴⁴/
	Lanzhou	/kɛ̃n³¹/
	Ürümqi	/kan⁴⁴/
	Wuhan	/kan⁵⁵/
	Chengdu	/kan⁵⁵/
	Guiyang	/kan⁵⁵/
	Kunming	/kã̠⁴⁴/
	Nanjing	/kaŋ³¹/
	Hefei	/kæ̃²¹/
Jin	Taiyuan	/kæ̃¹¹/
	Pingyao	/kɑŋ¹³/
	Hohhot	/kæ̃³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/kø⁵³/
	Suzhou	/kø⁵⁵/
	Hangzhou	/kẽ̞³³/
	Wenzhou	/ky³³/
Hui	Shexian	/kɛ³¹/
Hui	Tunxi	/kuə¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/kan³³/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/kan³³/
Gan	Nanchang	/kɵn⁴²/
Hakka	Meixian	/kon⁴⁴/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/kon²⁴/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/kɔn⁵³/
	Nanning	/kɔn⁵⁵/
	Hong Kong	/kɔn⁵⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/kan⁵⁵/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/kaŋ⁴⁴/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/kuiŋ⁵⁴/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/kaŋ³³/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/kaŋ²³/

Middle Chinese: /kɑn/▼

Rime
Character	乾
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	寒 (61)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古寒切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/kɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/kɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kan/
Li Rong	/kɑn/
Wang Li	/kɑn/
Bernard Karlgren	/kɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gān

Old Chinese▼

(Baxter-Sagart): /*[k]ˤar/

(Zhengzhang): /*kaːn/

Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	乾
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	gān
Middle Chinese	‹ kan ›
Old Chinese	/*[k]ˤar/
English	dry
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter-Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	乾
Reading #	1/2
No.	3698
Phonetic component	倝
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	干
Old Chinese	/*kaːn/

Definitions

乾

dry
我喉嚨很乾。 / 我喉咙很干。 ― Wǒ hóulóng hěn gān. ― My throat feels dry.
clean
乾淨 / 干净 ― gānjìng ― clean
adoptive; foster
in vain; for nothing

Compounds

乾兒子／干儿子 (gān érzi, “godson”)
乾冰／干冰 (gānbīng, “dry ice”)
乾冷／干冷 (“dry and cold”)
乾咳／干咳 (“dry cough”)
乾咽／干咽 (“to swallow dry food”)
乾哭／干哭 (“cry without tears”)
乾嗽／干嗽 (“dry cough”)
乾嘔／干呕 (gān'ǒu, “to retch”)
乾女兒／干女儿 (“goddaughter”)
乾妹子／干妹子 (“godsister”)
乾娘／干娘 (gānniáng, “godmother”)
乾媽／干妈 (gānmā, “godmother”)
乾季／干季 (gānjì, “dry season”)
乾寒／干寒 (“dry and cold”)
乾屍／干尸 (gānshī, “mummy”)
乾巴／干巴 (“insipid”)
乾巴巴／干巴巴 (“insipid”)
乾急／干急 (“anxious but unable to do anything”)
乾性油／干性油 (“dry oil”)
乾打雷，不下雨／干打雷，不下雨 (“thunder but no rain”)
乾旱／干旱 (gānhàn, “drought”)
乾杯／干杯 (gānbēi, “cheers”)
乾板／干板 (“dry plate”)

乾果／干果 (gānguǒ, “dry fruit”)
乾枯／干枯 (gānkū, “dried-up”)
乾柴烈火／干柴烈火 (“blazing fire and dry wood”)
乾洗／干洗 (gānxǐ, “dry cleaning”)
乾涸／干涸 (“dry up”)
乾淨／干净 (gānjìng, “clean”)
乾淨利落／干净利落 (“as neat as pin”)
乾渴／干渴 (“thirsty”)
乾澀／干涩 (gānsè, “dry and coarse”)
乾灰／干灰 (“lime”)
乾燥／干燥 (gānzào, “dry”)
乾燥劑／干燥剂 (“desiccant”)
乾燥箱／干燥箱 (“desiccator”)
乾爹／干爹 (gāndiē, “godfather”)
乾爽／干爽 (“dry and crisp”)
乾瘦／干瘦 (“skinny”)
乾癟／干瘪 (“dry and shrivelled”)
乾皺／干皱 (“kraurosis”)
乾着急／干着急 (“anxious but unable to do anything”)
乾瞪眼／干瞪眼 (“look on in despair”)
乾禮／干礼, 乾禮兒／干礼儿 (“monetary gift”)
乾笑／干笑 (“hollow laugh”)
乾粉／干粉 (“dried vermicelli”)

乾糧／干粮 (“food prepared for journey”)
乾結／干结 (“dry and hard”)
乾絲／干丝 (“dried bean curd”)
乾股／干股 (“stock dividend”)
乾肥／干肥 (“dried manure”)
乾脆／干脆 (gāncuì, “clear-cut”)
乾花／干花 (“dried flower”)
乾草／干草 (gāncǎo, “hay”)
乾菜／干菜 (“dried vegetable”)
乾薪／干薪 (“salary drawn for a sinecure”)
乾號／干号, 乾嚎／干嚎 (“pretending to howl”)
乾血漿／干血浆 (“dry plasma”)
乾裂／干裂 (“seasoning crack”)
乾親／干亲 (“nominal kinship”)
乾親家／干亲家
乾貝／干贝 (“dried scallop”)
乾貨／干货 (“dried fruits and nuts”)
乾酪／干酪 (gānlào, “cheese”)
乾電池／干电池 (gāndiànchí, “dry cell”)
乾飯／干饭 (“cooked rice”)
乾餾／干馏 (“dry distillation”)
乾鬆／干松 (“dry and loose”)
豆乾／豆干 (dòugān, “dried tofu”)

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		乾
alt. forms		乹

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-ka-n ‎(“heaven, sky, sun”). Cognate with Tibetan མཁའ ‎(mkha'), ནམ་མཁའ ‎(nam mkha', “sky, heaven”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin

(Pinyin): qián (qian²)

(Zhuyin): ㄑㄧㄢˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): kin⁴
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): khièn / khiàn
Min Nan (POJ): khiân

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
  - Pinyin: qián
  - Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄢˊ
  - Wade-Giles: ch'ien²
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chyan
  - IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: kin⁴
  - Yale: kìhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: kin⁴
  - IPA ^(key): /kʰiːn²¹/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khièn
  - Hakka Romanization System: kienˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: kian²
  - IPA: /kʰi̯en¹¹/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khiàn
  - Hakka Romanization System: kianˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: kian²
  - IPA: /kʰi̯an¹¹/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khiân
  - Tâi-lô: khiân
  - Phofsit Daibuun: qieen
  - IPA (Xiamen): /kʰiɛn²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰiɛn²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /kʰiɛn¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /kʰiɛn²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰiɛn²³/

Dialectal data▼

Variety	Location	edit 乾 (乾旱)
Mandarin	Beijing	/kan⁵⁵/
	Harbin	/kan⁴⁴/
	Tianjin	/kan²¹/
	Jinan	/kã²¹³/
	Qingdao	/kã²¹³/
	Zhengzhou	/kan²⁴/
	Xi'an	/kã²¹/
	Xining	/kã⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/kan⁴⁴/
	Lanzhou	/kɛ̃n³¹/
	Ürümqi	/kan⁴⁴/
	Wuhan	/kan⁵⁵/
	Chengdu	/kan⁵⁵/
	Guiyang	/kan⁵⁵/
	Kunming	/kã̠⁴⁴/
	Nanjing	/kaŋ³¹/
	Hefei	/kæ̃²¹/
Jin	Taiyuan	/kæ̃¹¹/
	Pingyao	/kɑŋ¹³/
	Hohhot	/kæ̃³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/kø⁵³/
	Suzhou	/kø⁵⁵/
	Hangzhou	/kẽ̞³³/
	Wenzhou	/ky³³/
Hui	Shexian	/kɛ³¹/
Hui	Tunxi	/kuə¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/kan³³/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/kan³³/
Gan	Nanchang	/kɵn⁴²/
Hakka	Meixian	/kon⁴⁴/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/kon²⁴/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/kɔn⁵³/
	Nanning	/kɔn⁵⁵/
	Hong Kong	/kɔn⁵⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/kan⁵⁵/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/kaŋ⁴⁴/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/kuiŋ⁵⁴/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/kaŋ³³/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/kaŋ²³/

Middle Chinese: /ɡˠiᴇn/▼

Rime
Character	乾
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	群 (30)
Final (韻)	仙 (79)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	Chongniu III
Fanqie	渠焉切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɡˠiᴇn/
Pan Wuyun	/ɡᵚiɛn/
Shao Rongfen	/ɡiæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/gian/
Li Rong	/ɡjɛn/
Wang Li	/ɡĭɛn/
Bernard Karlgren	/gi̯ɛn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qián

Old Chinese▼

(Baxter-Sagart): /*[ɡ](r)ar/

(Zhengzhang): /*ɡran/

Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	乾
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	qián
Middle Chinese	‹ gjen ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɡ](r)ar/
English	heaven; heavenly
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter-Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. [t] as coda may in fact be -t or -p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	乾
Reading #	2/2
No.	3709
Phonetic component	倝
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	乾
Old Chinese	/*ɡran/

Definitions

乾

One of the Eight Trigrams (☰).
乾道 ― qiándào ― ways of heaven; natural law
^†sky; heaven
^†sun
^†emperor
^†man, male
A surname.

Japanese

Kanji

乾

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

Goon: かん (kan), げん (gen)

Kan’on: かん (kan), けん (ken)

Kun: かわく (kawaku), かわかす (kawakasu), いぬい (inui)

Noun

乾 ‎(hiragana いぬい, romaji inui, historical hiragana いぬゐ)

(obsolete) northwest

Proper noun

乾 ‎(hiragana いぬい, romaji Inui, historical hiragana いぬゐ)

A surname.

Korean

Hanja

乾 • ‎(geon, gan) (hangeul 건, 간, revised geon, gan, McCune-Reischauer kŏn, kan)

(하늘 건, haneul-): sky
(건괘 건, geon-gwae-): ☷ or the 1st of the Eight Trigrams (☰☱☲☳☴☵☶☷ or 八卦 (팔괘, palgwae))
(임금 건, im-geum-): king
(마를 건, mareul-): to be dry

Synonyms

天 (천, cheon)
干 (간, gan) (translingual; simplified hanzi for 乾)

Antonyms

坤 (곤, gon)
地 (지, gi) earth
濕 (습, seup) wet

7+0=111+000 (U+2630)*	☰	乾	天	sky
6+1=110+001 (U+2631)	☱	兌	澤	marsh
5+2=101+010 (U+2632)	☲	離	火	fire
4+3=100+011 (U+2633)	☳	震	雷	thunder
3+4=011+100 (U+2634)	☴	巽	風	wind
2+5=010+101 (U+2635)	☵	坎	水	water
1+6=001+110 (U+2636)	☶	艮	山	mountain
0+7=000+111 (U+2637)	☷	坤	地	earth

Vietnamese

Han character

乾 (kiền, cạn, can, càn, khan, gàn, phạm)

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

Nom Foundation

Definify.com

Definition 2024

乾

乾

Translingual

Glyph origin

Han character

References

Chinese

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Definitions

Compounds

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Definitions

Japanese

Kanji

Readings

Noun

Proper noun

Korean

Hanja

Synonyms

Antonyms

See also

Vietnamese

Han character

References

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