乾 / 干
gān
The Chinese word for dry is 乾 / 干 (gān), describing something free from liquid or moisture. If unsure, use 乾 / 干. Wiktionary also lists 乾燥 / 干燥 (gānzào).
Meaning: free from liquid or moisture (adj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 乾 / 干 | gān |
| 乾燥 / 干燥 | gānzào |
乾 is the traditional character and 干 the simplified one. 干巴巴 describes something extremely dry that lacks any moisture.
Which one should you use?
乾燥 / 干燥 (gānzào) is more formal or descriptive and is often used for weather, air or environments.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To say something becomes dry, use 變乾 / 变干, where 變 means to become. Both 乾 / 干 and 乾燥 / 干燥 can also be used as verbs meaning to make something dry.
How do you pronounce it?
Say gān with a high level tone.
What mistakes should you avoid?
For a person who is dry in the sense of dehydrated, use 脫水 / 脱水 rather than 乾 / 干. For a dull or dry lecture, use 枯燥.
Did you know?
Examples in context
- 天气很干The weather is very dry
- 干巴巴的面包Dry bread
- 今天天气好干，你喝点水吧！Today's weather is so dry. You should drink some water!
- 对呀，非常干燥，我都快口渴死了！Yeah, it's extremely dry. I'm so thirsty!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dry” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 乾, CC BY-SA 4.0.
