hard, strong, tough

JLPT N5 6 strokes

Words with this Kanji

Usage of (gāng)

The word is commonly used to indicate that something happened very recently, similar to "just" or "just now" in English. For example, "" means "I just got home." It can also describe something that is hard, strong, or tough, often referring to physical objects like knives or materials.

Common Collocations

  • 刚刚 (gānggāng): emphasizes the recentness, "just now."
  • 刚才 (gāngcái): refers to a moment ago, "just a moment ago."

Notes

When used to mean "just," usually appears before the verb to indicate the action happened a short time ago. When describing hardness or toughness, it functions as an adjective.

Common Confusion

Don't confuse with 刚好 (gānghǎo), which means "just right" or "exactly." alone focuses on timing or toughness, while 刚好 emphasizes precision or suitability.

Example Sentences

I just got home, and you called right away.

This knife is very hard and not easy to break.

He just started learning Chinese and is not very fluent yet.