干 gàn
“tree trunk; main part of sth; to manage”
verb, adjectiveHSK 4 · 2021 list level 1Traditional 幹
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
干 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entries. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 640: 干 gàn — Level 3; official annotation 3 (动). PDF page 95
- Entry 1220: 干 gān — Level 4; official annotation 4（5） (形、（名）). PDF page 110
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 干
干 most commonly means to work or to do something in everyday colloquial speech. It is used as a verb, often in questions like 干什么 and in phrases about jobs such as 干活儿 or 干得很好. It is not the adjective meaning “dry,” which is a different reading.
例句Example sentences
- 你明天干什么？nǐ míng tiān gàn shén me?What are you doing tomorrow?
- 他在一家公司干了三年。tā zài yì jiā gōng sī gān le sān nián.He has worked at a company for three years.
- 她干得很好，大家都喜欢她。tā gān de hěn hǎo, dà jiā dōu xǐ huan tā.She does a good job, and everyone likes her.
深度指南Grammar & comparison guides
义项All meanings
- gān: old variant of 干
- Gān: surname Gan
- gān: dry; dried food; empty; hollow; taken in to nominal kinship; adoptive; foster; futile; in vain; (dialect) rude; blunt
- gān: variant of 干
- Gān: surname Gan
- gān: (bound form) to have to do with; to concern oneself with; one of the ten heavenly stems 干; (archaic) shield
- gàn: tree trunk; main part of sth; to manage; to work; to do; capable