刚gāng

刚

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Simplified · Today

简体

Simplified Chinese

Simplified form (簡體). 刚 (gāng, "hard, firm, just now") pairs the knife radical 刀 with 冈, a character originally depicting a mountain ridge. The traditional form 剛 preserves the full knife component, and the combination evokes something sharp and unyielding—a meaning that has remained consistent since the character first appeared in bronze inscriptions over two millennia ago.

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Shuowen

刚 (gāng) is composed of a knife (刀) on the left and the phonetic 冈 on the right, signifying hardness or strength. In oracle bone script the character shows a knife beside a mountain-like ridge (冈), representing a hard, unyielding substance. The original meaning of "hard, strong" is conveyed by this combination, and the modern form retains the knife and 冈 to reflect the idea of firmness.

Pinyin

gāng· HSK 2

刚gāng

Character evolution

Shuowen

Pinyin