敢

敢

敢 U+6562, 敢 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6562 ← 敡 [U+6561] CJK Unified Ideographs 散 → [U+6563]

Translingual

Stroke order

Mainland China

Alternative forms

• In mainland China (based on Xin Zixing 新字形), the upper left component is written 乛 (one stroke).
• In other regions, the upper left component is written 丅 (two strokes) which is the orthodox form found in the Kangxi dictionary.

Han character

敢 (Kangxi radical 66, 攴+8, 12 strokes in traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean, 11 strokes in mainland China, cangjie input 弓十人大 (NJOK) or 一十人大 (MJOK), four-corner 1814₀ or 1844₀, composition ⿰⿱乛耳攵(G) or ⿰⿱丅耳攵(HTJKV))

Derived characters

• 㒈, 噉, 𡑒, 㜟, 𢕭, 㦑, 撖, 澉, 㺖, 䧩, 𣊟, 橄, 瞰, 𥕵, 𥼲, 𦗪, 𦪧, 𧗐, 譀, 豃, 𧸂, 𨅺, 𮡜, 𨬒(𰾳), 𩍉, 䭛, 䲎, 𪉿(𬸹), 𡪯, 𭗐, 䆻, 𥴊, 𫶔, 憨, 饏, 𠣽, 𭅞, 𠪚, 𤺍, 嚴/𫿞(厳/严), 闞(阚), 鬫

References

• KangXi: page 472, character 26
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13260
• Dae Jaweon: page 825, character 13
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1463, character 9
• Unihan data for U+6562

---

Chinese

trad.		敢
simp. #		敢
2nd round simp.		攼

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 敢
Western Zhou	Warring States
Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script

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

	Old Chinese
撖	*kʰɯːm, *kʰreːmʔ, *ɡraːmʔ
澉	*l̥ʰaːms, *klaːmʔ
噉	*l'aːmʔ
敢	*klaːmʔ
橄	*klaːmʔ
瞰	*kʰlaːms
闞	*kʰlaːms, *qʰreːmʔ, *hŋraːms
憨	*qʰaːm, *qʰlaːms
譀	*qʰlaːms, *qʰraːms, *qʰraːb
巖	*ŋraːm
礹	*ŋraːm, *ŋamʔ
豃	*qʰraːmʔ
讝	*kjam
玁	*hŋramʔ
嚴	*ŋam
儼	*ŋamʔ
曮	*ŋamʔ
釅	*ŋams

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *klaːmʔ) : semantic 爭 (“to fight”) + phonetic 甘 (OC *kaːm).

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s/m-wam (“to dare”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): gǎn (gan³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄢˇ

  (Chengdu, SP): gan³

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): gam²

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): gam²

• Gan (Wiktionary): gon³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kám / kam

  (Meixian, Guangdong): gam³

• Jin (Wiktionary): gan²
• Min Bei (KCR): gǒ̤ng
• Min Dong (BUC): gāng
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): káⁿ / kám / kiám / kán

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gan²

• Wu (Wiktionary): koe (T2)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): gan³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gǎn
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄢˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gǎn
    • Wade–Giles: kan³
    • Yale: gǎn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gaan
    • Palladius: гань (ganʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kän²¹⁴/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: gan³
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: gan
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kan⁵³/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: gam²
    • Yale: gám
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gam²
    • Guangdong Romanization: gem²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɐm³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: gam²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kam⁵⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: gon³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɵn²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kám
    • Hakka Romanization System: gam`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gam<sup>3</sup>
    • Sinological IPA: /kam³¹/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kám / kam
    • Hakka Romanization System: gam` / gam
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gam³ / gam⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /kam³¹/, /kam⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: gam³
    • Sinological IPA: /kam³¹/

Note: Southern Sixian kam - variant used for the rhetorical/interrogative adverb.

• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: gan²
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /kæ̃⁵³/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gǒ̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔŋ²¹/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: gāng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ³³/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: káⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: kánn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kvar
    • IPA (Singapore): /kã⁴²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kã⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /kã⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kã⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kám
    • Tâi-lô: kám
    • Phofsit Daibuun: karm
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /kam⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kam⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kam⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kiám
    • Tâi-lô: kiám
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kiarm
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kiam⁵³/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kán
    • Tâi-lô: kán
    • Phofsit Daibuun: karn
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kan⁵³/

Note:

• káⁿ - vernacular (including the rhetorical adverb and "perhaps" in Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou);
• kám - literary (including the rhetorical adverb and "perhaps" in Xiamen, as well as the rhetorical/interrogative adverb in Taiwan);
• kiám/kán - variants used for the rhetorical adverb.

• • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gan²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: káⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kã⁵²/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: koe (T2)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kø³⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: gan³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kan⁴¹/

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 敢
Mandarin	Beijing	/kan²¹⁴/
	Harbin	/kan²¹³/
	Tianjin	/kan¹³/
	Jinan	/kã⁵⁵/
	Qingdao	/kã⁵⁵/
	Zhengzhou	/kan⁵³/
	Xi'an	/kã⁵³/
	Xining	/kã⁵³/
	Yinchuan	/kan⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/kɛ̃n⁴⁴²/
	Ürümqi	/kan⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/kan⁴²/
	Chengdu	/kan⁵³/
	Guiyang	/kan⁴²/
	Kunming	/kã̠⁵³/
	Nanjing	/kaŋ²¹²/
	Hefei	/kæ̃²⁴/
Jin	Taiyuan	/kæ̃⁵³/
	Pingyao	/kɑŋ⁵³/
	Hohhot	/kæ̃⁵³/
Wu	Shanghai	/kø³⁵/
	Suzhou	/kø⁵¹/
	Hangzhou	/kẽ̞⁵³/
	Wenzhou	/ky³⁵/
Hui	Shexian	/kɛ³⁵/
	Tunxi	/kɛ³¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/kan⁴¹/
	Xiangtan	/kan⁴²/
Gan	Nanchang	/kɵn²¹³/
Hakka	Meixian	/kam³¹/
	Taoyuan	/kɑm³¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/kɐm³⁵/
	Nanning	/kam³⁵/
	Hong Kong	/kɐm³⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/kam⁵³/ /kã⁵³/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/kaŋ³²/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/kɔŋ²¹/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/kã⁵³/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/ka²¹³/

---

• Middle Chinese: /kɑm^X/

Rime
Character	敢
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	談 (143)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古覽切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɑmX/
Pan Wuyun	/kɑmX/
Shao Rongfen	/kɑmX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kamX/
Li Rong	/kɑmX/
Wang Li	/kɑmX/
Bernard Karlgren	/kɑmX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gǎn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gam2

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤamʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*klaːmʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	敢
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	gǎn
Middle Chinese	‹ kamX ›
Old Chinese	/*[k]ˁamʔ/
English	dare
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	敢
Reading #	1/1
No.	3674
Phonetic component	敢
Rime group	談
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	敢
Old Chinese	/*klaːmʔ/
Notes	說文從爪又，古聲，金文從爭甘聲， 此爲隸變

Definitions

敢

1. bold; brave; daring
2. to dare (to); to venture (to)

   我們必須敢想，敢說，敢幹。 [MSC, trad.]
   我们必须敢想，敢说，敢干。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒmen bìxū gǎn xiǎng, gǎn shuō, gǎn gàn. [Pinyin]

   We must dare to think, speak up and act.

   他不敢正眼看她。  ―  Tā bù gǎn zhèng yǎnkàn tā.  ―  He didn't dare to look at her in the face.

   在那個風雨交加的夜晚，很少有人敢出去。 [MSC, trad.]
   在那个风雨交加的夜晚，很少有人敢出去。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zài nà ge fēngyǔ jiāojiā de yèwǎn, hěn shào yǒurén gǎn chūqù. [Pinyin]

   Very few people ventured to go out on that stormy night.

3. to be sure; to be certain; to bet; to presume

   敢肯定  ―  gǎn kěndìng  ―  to be sure, to be certain

   敢說／敢说  ―  gǎn shuō  ―  to be sure, to be certain

   我敢說你解決不了這個難題。 [MSC, trad.]
   我敢说你解决不了这个难题。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ gǎn shuō nǐ jiějuébuliǎo zhè ge nántí. [Pinyin]

   I bet you can't do this puzzle.

4. (polite) may I venture

   敢問／敢问  ―  gǎn wèn  ―  may I ask

   • 敢問路在何方？路在腳下。 [MSC, trad.]
     敢问路在何方？路在脚下。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1986, 閻肅 Yan Su (lyricist) & 許鏡清 Xu Jingqing (composer),《敢問路在何方》"Dare I ask where is the road?"

     Gǎn wèn lù zài héfāng? Lù zài jiǎoxià. [Pinyin]

     Dare I ask where is the road? The road is beneath our feet.

5. (literary or Hokkien, Teochew, Taiwanese Hakka, rhetorical question) can it be possible that; how

   alt. forms: 豈

   敢通按呢？ [Taiwanese Hokkien]  ―  Kám thang án-ne? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  How could it be like this?

6. (archaic or Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou Hokkien) perhaps
7. (Taiwanese Hokkien and Hakka) Interrogative adverb, placed before the verb to create a yes-no question.

   alt. forms: 咁, 甘, 干

   你敢有閒？／你敢有闲？ [Taiwanese Hokkien]  ―  Lí kám ū-êng? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  Are you free?

Synonyms

• (can it be possible that):

Dialectal synonyms of 難道 (“could it be that; is it possible that”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		莫非, 豈, 莫不是
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		莫非, 豈, 難道, 莫不是
Mandarin	Beijing	難道, 難不成, 甭
	Taiwan	難道, 難不成
Cantonese	Guangzhou	唔通
	Hong Kong	唔通
	Taishan	唔成, 敢係, 唔得旨, 毋旨, 毋旨估
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	無成, 敢講, 敢係
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	無成, 敢講, 敢係
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	無成, 敢講, 敢係
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	無成, 敢講, 敢會, 敢係
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	無成, 毋成, 敢講, 敢係
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	無敢, 敢講, 敢會, 敢係
Min Nan	Xiamen	敢, 總無
	Quanzhou	敢, 總無, 攏無
	Zhangzhou	敢, 總無
	Tainan	敢
	Manila (Hokkien)	敢
	Shantou	未是
	Jieyang	未是, 敢, 敢是

See also

• 肯 (kěn)

Compounds

Derived terms from 敢

不敢 (bùgǎn) 不敢妄言 不敢欺 何敢 (hégǎn) 到敢 勇敢 (yǒnggǎn) 勇猛果敢 怕敢 敢且 敢保 敢只是 敢待 敢怒而不敢言 敢怕 敢情 (gǎnqing) 敢攀玉趾 敢是 敢死 (gǎnsǐ)

敢死士 敢自 (gǎnzì) 敢若 (káⁿ-ná) (Min Nan) 敢莫是 敢言 未敢 (wèigǎn) 果敢 (guǒgǎn) 正色敢言 竟敢 (jìnggǎn) 莫敢是 不敢出氣／不敢出气 不敢則聲／不敢则声 不敢吭聲／不敢吭声 不敢告勞／不敢告劳 不敢後人／不敢后人 不敢從命／不敢从命 不敢當／不敢当 (bùgǎndāng) 愧不敢當／愧不敢当

敢作敢為／敢作敢为 (gǎnzuògǎnwéi) 敢作敢當／敢作敢当 敢做敢當／敢做敢当 (gǎnzuògǎndāng) 敢則／敢则 敢則是／敢则是 敢勇當先／敢勇当先 敢問／敢问 (gǎnwèn) 敢於／敢于 (gǎnyú) 敢死軍／敢死军 (gǎnsǐjūn) 敢死隊／敢死队 (gǎnsǐduì) 敢當／敢当 (gǎndāng) 敢緊／敢紧 敢請／敢请 石敢當／石敢当 (shígǎndāng) 膽敢／胆敢 (dǎngǎn) 莫敢誰何／莫敢谁何 (mògǎn-shuíhé) 豈敢／岂敢 (qǐgǎn) 鬼子敢爾／鬼子敢尔

Further reading

• “Entry #8439”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2011.

---

Japanese

Kanji

敢

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. daring, brave, bold
2. sad, tragic, pitiful

Readings

• Go-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)^{←かむ (kamu, historical)}
• Kan-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)^{←かむ (kamu, historical)}
• Kun: あえて (aete, 敢えて); あえない (aenai, 敢えない); あえず (aezu, 敢えず)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
敢
かん Grade: S
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 敢 (MC kɑm^X).

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
• IPA^(key): [kã̠ɴ]

Affix

敢(かん) • (kan) 

1. daring; brave; bold

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 敢行(かんこう) (kankō)
• 敢然(かんぜん) (kanzen)
• 敢闘(かんとう) (kantō)

---

Korean

Hanja

敢 (eumhun 감히 감 (gamhi gam))

1. Hanja form^? of 감 (“dare”).

---

Vietnamese

Han character

敢: Hán Nôm readings: cám, cảm, dám

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