to do; to work; dry (gān)
HSK level
干 is written with 3 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
干 is a two-pronunciation character.
As gàn it is a colloquial verb meaning 'to do, to work, or to carry out' — 干活儿 'to do work,' 你在干什么 'what are you doing?' As gān it is an adjective meaning 'dry' (干衣服 'dry clothes') and appears in words like 干燥 'arid.' Two points differ from English.
First, gàn 'to do' is more physical and colloquial than the neutral 做 (zuò); it suggests hands-on labor and can sound rough or even rude in the wrong register, so learners should default to 做 in formal contexts. Second, the same written character 干 covers both 'do' and 'dry' depending on tone, plus historically the simplification merged 乾 (dry) and 幹 (to do/trunk) into one form — so context and pronunciation, not the character alone, tell you the meaning. Register ranges from colloquial (gàn) to neutral (gān).
Note: As gàn ('to do/work') it is casual and can sound blunt; in formal writing use 做 or 从事. As gān it means 'dry' and is neutral. Avoid vulgar slang uses of 干 in polite settings.
你在干什么？
Nǐ zài gàn shénme?
What are you doing?
spoken
他每天都干很多活儿。
Tā měitiān dōu gàn hěn duō huór.
He does a lot of work every day.
colloquial
衣服还没干呢。
Yīfu hái méi gān ne.
The clothes aren't dry yet.
spoken
来，我们干杯！
Lái, wǒmen gānbēi!
Come on, let's cheers!
spoken
做 is the neutral, all-purpose 'to do / make,' fine in any register. 干 (gàn) is colloquial and stresses physical labor, and can sound blunt. Use 做 in writing and polite speech; 干 among friends or for manual work.
搞 is very colloquial 'to do / mess with / get done,' often vague or mischievous. 干 (gàn) is colloquial but more about honest work. Both are informal; 搞 leans more casual and sometimes negative.
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