# 干

| 干 | U+5E72, &#24178; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5E72 |
| ← 幱 [U+5E71] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 平 → [U+5E73] |
| ⼲ | U+2F32, &#12082; KANGXI RADICAL DRY |
| ← ⼱ [U+2F31] | Kangxi Radicals | ⼳ → [U+2F33] |

## Translingual
### Han character

干 (Kangxi radical 51, 干+0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 一十 (MJ), four-corner 1040$_0$, composition ⿱一十)
* Shuowen Jiezi radical №47

#### Derived characters

* Appendix:Chinese radical/干
* 迀, 赶, 刊, 邗, 攼, 䧲, 頇(顸), 鳱, 厈, 芉, 旱, 癷, 䍐, 䍑, 竿, 罕, 閈(闬), 㶣, 㿻, 衎, 哶, 䖫
* 仠, 奸, 屽, 㢨, 忓, 扞, 汗, 犴, 旰, 杆, 㶥, 㸩, 玕, 肝, 皯, 盰, 矸, 秆, 衦, 虷, 姧, 訐(讦), 豻, 軒(轩), 酐, 釬(𬬧), 靬, 飦(𫗞), 馯(𫘛), 骭, 䵟, 鼾
* 𭆺, 𡯋, 𢁗, 𨸗, 𭕍, 𤮽, 𤰟, 𤽂, 𥘏, 𥾍, 𦏹, 𧿂, 𭀧, 𡱭, 𩈅, 𩎒, 𬰱, 𭒋, 𩵟, 𩾝, 𪌃, 𪔆, 𬏎, 𪗙
* 𤿊, 𧰪, 𪚒, 𪚟, 𫢉, 𠣍, 𡵃, 𢇛, 𣬂, 𤰠, 𤴲, 𥝝, 𥤱, 𢦡, 𦉻, 𩂀, 𫹯, 𤮻, 𭅖, 𢒑, 𢿂

#### Related characters

* 乾, 幹 (Traditional forms of 干)

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 339, character 1
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9165
* Dae Jaweon: page 645, character 22
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 405, character 5
* Unihan data for U+5E72

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 干 :
| Shang | Western Zhou | Warring States | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Chu slip and silk script | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| | Old Chinese |
| 訐 | *krads, *krads, *ked, *kad |
| 肝 | *kaːn |
| 竿 | *kaːn |
| 干 | *kaːn |
| 奸 | *kaːn |
| 玕 | *kaːn |
| 汗 | *kaːn, *ɡaːn, *ɡaːns |
| 迀 | *kaːn |
| 忓 | *kaːn, *ɡaːns |
| 鳱 | *kaːn |
| 邗 | *kaːn, *ɡaːn |
| 秆 | *kaːnʔ |
| 矸 | *kaːnʔ, *kaːns, *ɡaːns |
| 仠 | *kaːnʔ |
| 皯 | *kaːnʔ |
| 衦 | *kaːnʔ |
| 簳 | *kaːnʔ |
| 擀 | *kaːnʔ |
| 旰 | *kaːns |
| 盰 | *kaːns |
| 幹 | *kaːns |
| 杆 | *kaːns |
| 骭 | *kaːns, *ɡraːns |
| 桿 | *kaːnʔ |
| 趕 | *kaːnʔ |
| 稈 | *kaːnʔ |
| 刊 | *kʰaːn |
| 靬 | *kʰaːn, *kʰaːns, *kreːn, *kan |
| 衎 | *kʰaːnʔ, *kʰaːns |
| 犴 | *ŋaːn, *ŋaːns |
| 豻 | *ŋaːn, *ŋaːns, *ɦŋaːns, *ŋ̊ʰraːn |
| 頇 | *ŋaːns, *hŋaːn, *ŋaːd |
| 岸 | *ŋɡaːns |
| 鼾 | *qʰaːn, *ɢaːns |
| 罕 | *qʰaːnʔ, *qʰaːns |
| 焊 | *qʰaːnʔ, *ɡaːns |
| 蔊 | *qʰaːnʔ |
| 虷 | *ɡaːn |
| 旱 | *ɡaːnʔ |
| 皔 | *ɡaːnʔ |
| 釬 | *ɡaːns |
| 扞 | *ɡaːns |
| 閈 | *ɡaːns |
| 馯 | *ɡaːns, *kʰraːn |
| 捍 | *ɡaːns, *ɡraːnʔ |
| 悍 | *ɡaːns |
| 銲 | *ɡaːns |
| 垾 | *ɡaːns |
| 駻 | *ɡaːns |
| 睅 | *ɡʷranʔ |
| 娨 | *ɡraːns |
| 飦 | *kan |
| 赶 | *ɡan, *ɡʷad |
| 軒 | *qʰan |
| 蓒 | *qʰan |
| 酐 | *qʰaːŋʔ |
| 澣 | *ɡʷaːnʔ |
Pictogram (象形) of a shield with feather ornaments on top; in some versions in oracle bones, the central and flat part of the shield can be seen as 回.
As an alternative, it is possible 干 and 單 are variant forms of the same character in oracle bone script due to their similar shapes and its appearance in the original forms of 敢. Hence, 干 would depict a bifurcated hunting weapon, not a shield. But 單 has two dots on top that depict two stones, while these two dots are absent in 干.
Also borrowed phonetically as a simplification of 乾 (dry) and 幹. See also 盾 (the pictogram of another shield) and its possible differentiation 古.
The interpretation that links this pictogram to a pestle is folk etymology. Unrelated to 午, which however represents a pestle.

### Etymology 1

Sino-Tibetan. Cognate with 扞 (OC *ɡaːns, “to shield; to protect”), 閈 (OC *ɡaːns, “gate”), 捍 (OC *ɡaːns, *ɡraːnʔ, “to shield, ward off”). Compare Tibetan འགལ ('gal, “to go against, to violate, to contradict”), Burmese ကာ (ka, “shield; to shield; to block”).

#### Pronunciation 1

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): gān (gan$^1$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄍㄢ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): gon$^1$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kôn
* Jin (Wiktionary): gan$^1$
* Northern Min (KCR): gúing
* Eastern Min (BUC): găng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): kan
    (Teochew, Peng'im): gang$^1$
* Wu (Northern, Wugniu): $^1$koe
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: gān
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄢ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: gan
*** Wade–Giles: kan$^1$
*** Yale: gān
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gan
*** Palladius: гань (ganʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /kän⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gon$^1$
*** Yale: gōn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gon$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: gon$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kɔːn⁵⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kôn
*** Hakka Romanization System: gon$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: gon$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /kon²⁴/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: gan$^1$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /kæ̃¹¹/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gúing
*** Sinological IPA : /kuiŋ⁵⁴/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: găng
*** Sinological IPA : /kaŋ⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kan
*** Tâi-lô: kan
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kafn
*** IPA (Xiamen): /kan⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kan³³/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /kan⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /kan⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kan⁴⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: gang$^1$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kang
*** Sinological IPA : /kaŋ³³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou)
*** Wugniu: $^1$koe
*** MiniDict: koe$^平$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^1$koe
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kø⁵³/
*** Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /kø⁴⁴/
* Middle Chinese: kan
Rime :
| Character | 干 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 見 (28) |
| Final (韻) | 寒 (61) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 古寒切 |
| Baxter | kan |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /kɑn/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /kɑn/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /kɑn/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /kan/ |
| Li Rong | /kɑn/ |
| Wang Li | /kɑn/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /kɑn/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | gān |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | gon$^1$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤar/, /*kˤa[r]/, /*kˤar/
    (Zhengzhang): /*kaːn/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 干 | 干 | 干 | 干 |
| Reading # | 1/4 | 2/4 | 3/4 | 4/4 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | gān | gān | gān | gān |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ kan › | ‹ kan › | ‹ kan › | ‹ kan › |
| Old Chinese | /*[k]ˁar/ | /*kˁa[r]/ | /*kˁar/ | /*kˁar/ |
| English | pole | shield (n.) | piece, item | (placename) |
| 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 | 干 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 3570 |
| Phonetic component | 干 |
| Rime group | 元 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 干 |
| Old Chinese | /*kaːn/ |

##### Definitions

干
* to concern; to be implicated in; implication
       Zhè shì yǔ wǒ wú gān. [Pinyin]
       It has nothing to do with me.
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) a shield
    From: The Classic of Mountains and Seas
    Xíngtiān yǔ dì zhì cǐ (jī gōng zhī guó) zhēng shén, dì duàn qí shǒu, zàng zhī chángyáng zhī shān. Nǎi yǐ rǔ wéi mù, yǐ qí wéi kǒu, cāo gān qī yǐ wǔ. [Pinyin]
    When Xingtian fought with the Supreme Deity there (the land of people with odd/uneven upper-arms), the Supreme Deity decapitated him and buried his head at Changyang Mountain. [But Xingtian's] nipples became his eyes, his belly button became his mouth and the thrusting of his shield and battle-axe became his dance.
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to request; to ask
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to offend; to encroach on
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to interfere; to intervene
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) bank; edge of water bodies
    江干 ― jiānggān ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    河干 ― hégān ― river bank
* 8th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "opposition" (𝌍)
* Short for 天干 (tiāngān, “heavenly stem”).
* group (of people)
    一干人 ― yī gān rén ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)
* A place in modern Yangzhou.
    Synonym: 邗 (Hán)
       Gānyuè yíhé zhī zǐ, shēng ér tóng shēng, cháng ér yì sú, jiào shǐ zhī rán yě. [Pinyin]
       (please add an English translation of this usage example)
* Alternative form of 乾 / 干 (“dry”)
* Alternative form of 澗 / 涧 (jiàn, “brook; stream”)
* Alternative form of 矸 (“rock”)
* a surname
* (Mainland China Hokkien) in vain; for nothing

###### Synonyms

* (in vain): 白 (bái)

##### Compounds

* 一干 (yīgān)
* 不干 (bùgān)
* 不氣干
* 不相干 (bùxiānggān)
* 不肯干休
* 丹干
* 何干 (hégān)
* 俠氣干雲 / 侠气干云
* 倒持干戈 (dàochí gāngē)
* 倒置干戈
* 倒載干戈
* 冇相干 (Cantontese)
* 刺干
* 加拉干達
* 動干戈
* 十干 (shígān)
* 善罷干休
* 塔什庫爾干 / 塔什库尔干 (Tǎshíkù'ěrgān)
* 塔克拉瑪干 (Tǎkèlāmǎgān)
* 大動干戈
* 天干 (tiāngān)
* 天干地支
* 奉干
* 射干 (yègān)
* 布干維爾 / 布干维尔 (Bùgānwéi'ěr)
* 干云蔽日 (“tall trees covering the sun”)
* 干仕
* 干伏
* 干休 (gānxiū)
* 干係 (gānxì, “implication”)
* 干卿何事 (gānqīnghéshì)
* 干卿底事
* 干名犯義
* 干名采譽
* 干呆
* 干城
* 干寶
* 干將 (Gānjiāng)
* 干將莫邪 (gānjiāng-mòyé)
* 干惹
* 干戈 (gāngē, “weapons of war”)
* 干戈載戢
* 干戚
* 干擾 (gānrǎo, “to interfere”)
* 干擾素 (gānrǎosù, “interferon”)
* 干支 (gānzhī, “the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches”)
* 干政 (gānzhèng)
* 干旄
* 干時
* 干樂 (kan-lo̍k) (Min Nan)
* 干櫓
* 干求
* 干涉 (gānshè, “to intervene”)
* 干涉現象 (“interference”)
* 干澤
* 干瀆
* 干焦 (kan-na) (Min Nan)
* 干犯 (gānfàn, “to encroach on”)
* 干礙
* 干祿
* 干紀
* 干累
* 干結
* 干罰
* 干罷
* 干羽
* 干與 (gānyù, “to intervene”)
* 干請
* 干謁
* 干證 (“witness”)
* 干證人
* 干譽
* 干貝 (gānbèi)
* 干連 (“implication”)
* 干進
* 干雲
* 干雲蔽日
* 干青雲
* 干預 (gānyù, “to intervene”)
* 干鳥
* 干鳥氣 / 干鸟气
* 干黷
* 德干高原
* 擔干係 / 担干系
* 擔干紀 / 担干纪
* 斯干
* 日干
* 更待干罷
* 朱干玉戚
* 東干 (Dōnggān)
* 染干
* 欄干 (lángān)
* 比干
* 毫不相干
* 江干
* 沽名干譽
* 烏干達 / 乌干达 (Wūgāndá)
* 無干 (wúgān)
* 無相干 (Teochew, Hainanese)
* 白干
* 相干 (xiānggān)
* 矯情干譽 / 矫情干誉
* 義氣干霄 / 义气干霄
* 耽干繫
* 若干
* 莫干山 (Mògān Shān)
* 薩利吉勒干南庫勒 / 萨利吉勒干南库勒 (Sàlìjílègānnánkùlè)
* 蘭干 (Lángān)
* 豆干 (dòugān)
* 豆腐干
* 豪氣干雲 / 豪气干云
* 邪不干正 (xiébùgānzhèng)
* 鐵干里克 (Tiěgānlǐkè)
* 長干巷
* 長干曲
* 闌干 (lángān)
* 陰干
* 非意相干

#### Pronunciation 2

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): gàn (gan$^4$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄍㄢˋ
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: gàn
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄢˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: gàn
*** Wade–Giles: kan$^4$
*** Yale: gàn
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gann
*** Palladius: гань (ganʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /kän⁵¹/

##### Definitions

干
* to defend
* to establish

#### Descendants

* → Lao: ກັນ (kan)
* → Shan: ၵၼ် (kǎn)
* → Tai Dam: ꪀꪽ
* → Thai: กัน (gan)

### Etymology 2

* For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 乾 (“dry; moistureless; waterless; arid; to dry; to exhaust; etc.”). (This character is the simplified and variant form of 乾).
* Notes:Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

### Etymology 3

* For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 幹 (“main part of something; body; trunk; to do; etc.”). (This character is the simplified form of 幹).
* Notes:Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

### Etymology 4

* For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 豻 (“a kind of wild dog from northern China, resembling a fox with a black snout; etc.”). (This character is a variant form of 豻).

### Etymology 5

* For pronunciation and definitions of 干 – see 贛 (“Gan River; Jiangxi, a province of China.; etc.”). (This character is the second-round simplified form of 贛).
* Notes:Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

#### Readings

* Go-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
* Kun: ほす (hosu, 干す, Jōyō)、ひる (hiru, 干る, Jōyō)、たて (tate, 干)、おかす (okasu, 干す)

#### Compounds

* 干(たて)城(き) (tateki)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 干
* かん Grade: 6
* on'yomi
From Middle Chinese 干 (MC kan).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [kã̠ɴ]

#### Affix

干(かん) • (kan)
* shield
* interfere, invade

##### Derived terms
###### shield

* 干(かん)戈(か) (kanka)

###### interfere, invade

* 干(かん)渉(しょう) (kanshō)
* 干(かん)犯(ぱん) (kanpan)

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 干
* かん Grade: 6
* on'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 旱
干 is a daiyōji replacing 旱.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [kã̠ɴ]

#### Affix

干(かん) • (kan)
* dry

##### Derived terms

* 干(かん)害(がい) (kangai)
* 干(かん)天(てん) (kanten)
* 干(かん)魃(ばつ) (kanbatsu)

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 干
* ひ Grade: 6
* on'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 乾

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ひ [híꜜ] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [çi]

#### Noun

干(ひ) • (hi)
* (prefixed to nouns) dry

##### Derived terms

* 干(ひ)物(もの) (himono)

### References

* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Korean
### Hanja

干 (eumhun 방패 간 (bangpae gan))
* shield

## Okinawan
### Kanji

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

#### Readings

* Kun: ふすん (fusun, 干すん)

## Tày
### Noun

干 (can, cán)
* Nôm form of can (“heavenly stem”).
    四象分干支八卦Tứ tượng phân can chi bát quáiSixiang created the ten heavenly stems and the eight divinatory trigrams
* Nôm form of cán (“stem; trunk”).
    有干不生枝玉葉Hữu cán bất sinh chi ngọc diệpThere's the stem but no leaves

### Verb

干 (can)
* Nôm form of can (“to dissuade”).
    參拾婆姆姉困干 𫡲拾仍婆官困𠮶Sam síp bà mụ chị khổn can Hả síp nhịnh bà quan khổn gạ[Even] thirty concubines can't dissuade them [Even] fifty mandarins can't make them obey

### References

* Lục Văn Pảo, Hoàng Tuấn Nam (2003) Hoàng Triều Ân, editor, Từ điển chữ Nôm Tày [A Dictionary of (chữ) Nôm Tày]‎ (in Vietnamese), Hanoi: Nhà xuất bản Khoa học Xã hội

## Vietnamese
### Han character

干: Hán Việt readings: can
干: Nôm readings: can, càn, cán, cơn
* chữ Hán form of can (“to intervene; to concern”).

#### Compounds

* 天干 (Thiên Can)
* 干係 (can hệ)
* 干戈 (can qua)
* 干拫 (can ngăn)
* 干支 (can chi)
* 干涉 (can thiệp)
* 干犯 (can phạm)
* 干罪 (can tội)
* 干諫 (can gián)
* 干預 (can dự)
* 無干 (vô can)
* 被干 (bị can)
* 連干 (liên can)
* 𡅳干 (khuyên can)