甘

甘 U+7518, 甘 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7518 ← 甗 [U+7517] CJK Unified Ideographs 甙 → [U+7519]

⽢ U+2F62, ⽢ KANGXI RADICAL SWEET ← ⽡ [U+2F61] Kangxi Radicals ⽣ → [U+2F63]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

See images of
Radical 99 甘

甘 (Kangxi radical 99, 甘+0, 5 strokes, cangjie input 廿一 (TM), four-corner 4477₀, composition ⿻廿一)

1. Kangxi radical #99, ⽢.

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/甘
• 佄, 咁, 坩, 姏, 𡶑, 𭚩, 㤌, 拑, 泔, 𭤭, 柑, 㶰, 玵, 𦚕, 𭾧, 𥑠, 𥞈, 𥩩, 粓, 紺(绀), 𦕐, 蚶, 𧣑, 詌(𬣠), 𧮳, 𧵊(𬥴), 𫏄, 酣, 𨱫, 𫥕, 𭉀, 鉗(钳), 𤊼, 𫺦, 𩖺, 𩚵(𩠁), 𩢨, 魽(𫠐), 黚, 𫴐, 𪖟, 𪗳(𬹾)
• 邯, 𣢟, 𢎌, 𨚠, 䲺, 某, 䗣, 𠤔, 𭇐, 𭓣, 苷, 𥞌, 䇞, 雸, 𩬚, 𬓶, 𪏽, 𢇾, 疳, 𨳼

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 753, character 19
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 21643
• Dae Jaweon: page 1161, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2413, character 1
• Unihan data for U+7518

Chinese

simp. and trad.		甘
alternative forms		𠙿 𠁿 𠮚 𤮺 𠙸 𠙿 𠁿 𠮚 𤮺 𠙸 𭺪 𭺫 㤌

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 甘
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

	Old Chinese
紺	*kɯːms
姏	*mɡaːm
嵌	*sɡaːmʔ, *kʰraːm
甘	*kaːm
柑	*kaːm
苷	*kaːm
泔	*kaːm
坩	*kaːm, *kʰaːm
蚶	*ɢaːm, *ɢaːm
酣	*ɢaːm
甝	*ɢaːm
魽	*ɢaːm
邯	*ɡaːm, *ɡaːm
鉗	*ɡram
箝	*ɡram
黚	*ɡram, *ɡrɯm
拑	*ɡram

Characters in the same phonetic series (甘) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

Ideogram (指事) – something (perhaps sweet) in an open mouth; the original drawing is 𠁿. Original form of 含. See also 敢, 旨, 香, and 音.

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-klum (“sweet”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT). Cognate with Mizo thlum, Lepcha [script needed] (khlyam).

Possibly related to 含 (OC *ɡɯːm, “to keep in mouth”) and 甜 (OC *l'iːm, “sweet”), 柑 (MC kam, “mandarin orange”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Rime
Character	甘
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	談 (143)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古三切
Baxter	kam
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɑm/
Pan Wuyun	/kɑm/
Shao Rongfen	/kɑm/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kam/
Li Rong	/kɑm/
Wang Li	/kɑm/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kɑm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gam1

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	甘
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	gān
Middle Chinese	‹ kam ›
Old Chinese	/*[k]ˁ[a]m/
English	sweet
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	甘
Reading #	1/1
No.	3652
Phonetic component	甘
Rime group	談
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	甘
Old Chinese	/*kaːm/

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): gān (gan¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄢ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): gan¹

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): ган (gan, I)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): gam¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): gam¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): gon¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kâm

  (Hailu, HRS): gam^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): gam¹

• Jin (Wiktionary): gan¹
• Northern Min (KCR): gó̤ng
• Eastern Min (BUC): găng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): gang¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kam / kaⁿ

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gam¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹koe
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): gan¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gān
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gan
    • Wade–Giles: kan¹
    • Yale: gān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gan
    • Palladius: гань (ganʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kän⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: gan¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: gan
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kan⁵⁵/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: ган (gan, I)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kæ̃²⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gam¹
    • Yale: gām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gem¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɐm⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: gam¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kam³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: gon¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɵn⁴²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kâm
    • Hakka Romanization System: gam^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gam¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kam²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: gam^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /kam⁵³/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: gam¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kam⁴⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: gan¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /kæ̃¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gó̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔŋ⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: găng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: gang¹
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: gang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ⁵³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kam
    • Tâi-lô: kam
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kafm
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kam³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kam⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kaⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: kann
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kvaf
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kã⁴⁴/

Note:

• kam - literary;
• kaⁿ - vernacular.

• • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gam¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kam
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kam³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹koe
    • MiniDict: koe^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹koe
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kø⁵³/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: gan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kan³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: kam

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤ[a]m/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kaːm/

Definitions

甘

1. sweet

   甘甜  ―  gāntián  ―  sweet

   甘蔗  ―  gānzhe  ―  sugar cane

2. pleasant; satisfactory
3. willingly; readily

   甘心  ―  gānxīn  ―  to be willing to

   甘願／甘愿  ―  gānyuàn  ―  willingly

4. (Cantonese, ironic) bitter; difficult to bear

   Alternative form: 金 (gam¹)

   輸到好甘／输到好甘 [Cantonese]  ―  syu¹ dou³ hou² gam¹ [Jyutping]  ―  to lose tremendously

   畀人𨃩鑊甘／畀人𨃩镬甘 [Cantonese]  ―  bei² jan⁴ sin³ wok⁶ gam¹ [Jyutping]  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   鑊鑊新鮮鑊鑊甘 [Cantonese, trad.]
   镬镬新鲜镬镬甘 [Cantonese, simp.]

   wok⁶ wok⁶ san¹ sin¹ wok⁶ wok⁶ gam¹ [Jyutping]

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. a surname

   甘寧／甘宁  ―  Gān Níng  ―  Gan Ning (military general serving under Sun Quan in the late Eastern Han dynasty)

6. Short for 甘肅／甘肃 (Gānsù, “Gansu”).

   Synonym: 隴 / 陇 (lǒng)

Synonyms

• (sweet):

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		甘, 甜
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		甜
Northeastern Mandarin	Chengde	甜
	Chifeng	甜
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	甜
	Heihe	甜
	Qiqihar	甜
	Harbin	甜
	Jiamusi	甜
	Baicheng	甜
	Changchun	甜
	Tonghua	甜
	Shenyang	甜
	Jinzhou	甜
	Singapore	甜
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	甜
	Tangshan	甜
	Cangzhou	甜
	Baoding	甜
	Shijiazhuang	甜
	Lijin	甜
	Jinan	甜
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Dalian	甜
	Dandong	甜
	Yantai	甜
	Yantai (Muping)	甜
	Qingdao	甜
	Zhucheng	甜
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	甜
	Lingbao	甜
	Jining	甜
	Wanrong	甜
	Linfen	甜
	Shangqiu	甜
	Yuanyang	甜
	Zhengzhou	甜
	Xinyang	甜
	Baihe	甜
	Xi'an	甜
	Baoji	甜
	Tianshui	甜
	Xining	甜
	Xuzhou	甜
	Fuyang	甜
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	甜
	Lanzhou	甜
	Dunhuang	甜
	Hami	甜
	Ürümqi	甜
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	甜
	Nanchong	甜
	Dazhou	甜
	Hanyuan	甜
	Xichang	甜
	Zigong	甜
	Chongqing	甜
	Wuhan	甜
	Yichang	甜
	Xiangyang	甜
	Tianmen	甜
	Guiyang	甜
	Zunyi	甜
	Bijie	甜
	Liping	甜
	Zhaotong	甜
	Dali	甜
	Kunming	甜
	Mengzi	甜
	Guilin	甜
	Liuzhou	甜
	Jishou	甜
	Changde	甜
	Hanzhong	甜
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	甜
	Yangzhou	甜
	Lianyungang	甜
	Lianshui	甜
	Nantong	甜
	Anqing	甜
	Wuhu	甜
	Hefei	甜
	Hong'an	甜
Cantonese	Guangzhou	甜
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	甜
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	甜
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	甜
	Dongguan	甜
	Singapore (Guangfu)	甜
Gan	Nanchang	甜
	Lichuan	甜
	Pingxiang	甜
Hakka	Meixian	甜
	Yudu	甜
	Hong Kong	甜
Huizhou	Jixi	甜
	Shexian	甜
Jin	Taiyuan	甜
	Yangyuan	甜
	Datong	甜
	Xinzhou	甜
	Lüliang (Lishi)	甜
	Changzhi	甜
	Linhe	甜
	Jining	甜
	Hohhot	甜
	Erenhot	甜
	Pingshan	甜
	Zhangjiakou	甜
	Handan	甜
	Linzhou	甜
	Suide	甜
Northern Min	Jian'ou	甜
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	甜
Southern Min	Xiamen	甜
	Tainan	甜
	Singapore (Hokkien)	甜
	Manila (Hokkien)	甜
	Chaozhou	甜
	Singapore (Teochew)	甜
	Leizhou	甜
	Haikou	甜
	Singapore (Hainanese)	甜
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	甜
Wu	Shanghai	甜
	Shanghai (Chongming)	甜
	Suzhou	甜
	Danyang	甜
	Hangzhou	甜
	Ningbo	甜
	Wenzhou	甜
	Jinhua	甜
Xiang	Changsha	甜
	Xiangxiang	甜
	Loudi	甜
	Shuangfeng	甜

Dialectal synonyms of 甜 (“sweet”) [map]

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “sweet”): 苦 (kǔ)

Compounds

• 不甘 (bùgān)
• 不甘寂寞 (bùgānjìmò)
• 不甘後人 / 不甘后人 (bùgānhòurén)
• 不甘心
• 不甘示弱 (bùgānshìruò)
• 不甘雌伏
• 不甘食貧 / 不甘食贫
• 不知甘苦
• 供膳甘肥
• 倒吃甘蔗
• 分甘
• 分甘共苦
• 同甘共苦 (tónggāngòngkǔ)
• 同甘同苦
• 善罷甘休 / 善罢甘休 (shànbàgānxiū)
• 嚥苦吞甘 / 咽苦吞甘
• 回甘 (huígān)
• 幣厚言甘 / 币厚言甘
• 幣重言甘 / 币重言甘
• 心甘情願 / 心甘情愿 (xīngānqíngyuàn)
• 旨甘
• 普降甘霖
• 樂貧甘賤 / 乐贫甘贱
• 沛雨甘霖
• 爐甘石 / 炉甘石 (lúgānshí)
• 甘之如薺 / 甘之如荠
• 甘之如飴 / 甘之如饴 (gānzhīrúyí)
• 甘之若素
• 甘之若飴 / 甘之若饴
• 甘井先竭 (gānjǐngxiānjié)
• 甘休 (gānxiū)
• 甘伏
• 甘冒虎口
• 甘冽
• 甘分
• 甘分隨時 / 甘分随时
• 甘加 (Gānjiā)
• 甘受 (gānshòu)
• 甘味 (gānwèi)
• 甘地主義 / 甘地主义
• 甘塘坳 (Gāntáng'ào)
• 甘始
• 甘孜 (Gānzī)
• 甘孜藏族自治州 (Gānzī Zàngzú Zìzhìzhōu)
• 甘家廠 / 甘家厂 (Gānjiāchǎng)
• 甘居中游
• 甘心 (gānxīn)
• 甘心如薺 / 甘心如荠
• 甘心情願 / 甘心情愿
• 甘心瞑目
• 甘心鈇鉞 / 甘心𫓧钺
• 甘拜下風 / 甘拜下风 (gānbàixiàfēng)
• 甘旨
• 甘旨肥濃 / 甘旨肥浓
• 甘服
• 甘木 (Gānmù)
• 甘棠 (gāntáng)
• 甘棠之惠
• 甘棠有蔭 / 甘棠有荫
• 甘棠遺愛 / 甘棠遗爱
• 甘死如飴 / 甘死如饴 (gānsǐrúyí)
• 甘比亞 / 甘比亚 (Gānbǐyà)
• 甘毳
• 甘水
• 甘油 (gānyóu)
• 甘泉 (gānquán)
• 甘泉必竭
• 甘涼 / 甘凉
• 甘珠爾 / 甘珠尔
• 甘瓜苦蒂
• 甘甜 (gāntián)
• 甘盡苦來 / 甘尽苦来
• 甘納豆 / 甘纳豆
• 甘紫菜
• 甘結 / 甘结 (gānjié)
• 甘羅 / 甘罗
• 甘美 (gānměi)
• 甘羞
• 甘肅 / 甘肃 (Gānsù)
• 甘脆 (gāncuì)
• 甘膬
• 甘芳
• 甘苦 (gānkǔ)
• 甘茂
• 甘草 (gāncǎo)
• 甘草人物
• 甘草粉
• 甘菊 (gānjú)
• 甘蔗
• 甘蔗板
• 甘蔗顛子 / 甘蔗颠子
• 甘蕉 (gānjiāo)
• 甘藍 / 甘蓝 (gānlán)
• 甘薯 (gānshǔ)
• 甘薯簽 / 甘薯签
• 甘薯葉 / 甘薯叶
• 甘藷 / 甘薯 (gānshǔ)
• 甘處下流 / 甘处下流
• 甘蠅 / 甘蝇
• 甘言 (gānyán)
• 甘言厚幣 / 甘言厚币
• 甘言厚禮 / 甘言厚礼
• 甘言好辭 / 甘言好辞
• 甘言巧辭 / 甘言巧辞
• 甘言美語 / 甘言美语
• 甘谷 (Gāngǔ)
• 甘貧守分 / 甘贫守分
• 甘貧守志 / 甘贫守志
• 甘貧守節 / 甘贫守节
• 甘貧樂道 / 甘贫乐道
• 甘迺迪角
• 甘醴
• 甘限
• 甘雨 (gānyǔ)
• 甘雨隨車 / 甘雨随车
• 甘霖 (gānlín)
• 甘露 (gānlù)
• 甘露之變 / 甘露之变
• 甘露子
• 甘露水漿 / 甘露水浆
• 甘露法雨
• 甘露滋心
• 甘願 / 甘愿 (gānyuàn)
• 甘食褕衣
• 甘馨之費 / 甘馨之费
• 甘鮮 / 甘鲜
• 甜甘
• 硝化甘油 (xiāohuàgānyóu)
• 結球甘藍 / 结球甘蓝 (jiéqiú gānlán)
• 絕甘分少 / 绝甘分少
• 美甘甘
• 美食甘寢 / 美食甘寝
• 肥甘
• 自甘墮落 / 自甘堕落 (zìgānduòluò)
• 苦盡甘來 / 苦尽甘来 (kǔjìngānlái)
• 荒漠甘泉
• 莫甘
• 蒲甘 (Púgān)
• 蔫甘
• 褕衣甘食
• 誓不甘休
• 輸服甘結 / 输服甘结
• 食不求甘
• 食不甘味
• 飫甘饜肥 / 饫甘餍肥
• 黃甘甘 / 黄甘甘

References

• 莆田市政协文化文史和学习委员会 [Culture, History and Learning Committee of Putian CPPCC], editor (2021), “甘”, in 莆仙方言大词典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 194.

Japanese

Kanji

See also:

Category:Japanese terms spelled with 甘

甘

(Jōyō kanji)

1. sweet

Readings

• Go-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)^{←かん (kan, historical)←かむ (kamu, ancient)}
• Kan-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)^{←かん (kan, historical)←かむ (kamu, ancient)}
• Kun: あまい (amai, 甘い, Jōyō)、うまい (umai, 甘い)、あまんじる (amanjiru, 甘んじる)、あまやかす (amayakasu, 甘やかす, Jōyō)、あまえる (amaeru, 甘える, Jōyō)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
甘
かん Grade: S
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 甘 (MC kam).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kã̠ɴ]

• IPA^(key): [a̠ma̠i]

Affix

甘(かん) • (kan) 

1. delicious
2. sweet-tasting; sweet
3. pleasant; pleased; content

Derived terms

• 甘井(かんせい) (kansei): sweet well
• 甘精(かんせい) (kansei): saccharin
• 甘草(かんぞう) (kanzō): licorice
• 甘藍(かんらん) (kanran): cabbage

Korean

Hanja

甘 • (gam) (hangeul 감, revised gam, McCune–Reischauer kam, Yale kam)

1. sweet

Vietnamese

Han character

甘: Hán Nôm readings: cam

1. chữ Hán form of cam (“sweetness; to be content with; to pledge”).

Compounds

• 同甘共苦 (đồng cam cộng khổ)
• 甘分 (cam phận)
• 甘心 (cam tâm)
• 甘端 (cam đoan)
• 甘結 (cam kết)
• 甘草 (cam thảo)
• 甘𠹾 (cam chịu)
• 甘𢚸 (cam lòng)
• 苦盡甘來 (khổ tận cam lai)