敢 (gǎn): to dare, daring, (polite) may I venture
敢 (gǎn) is a Chinese character meaning “to dare.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), with radical 攵 (rap). It ranks #795 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 敢 a hand with a stick 攵 striking a beast 耳. Its radical form 攵 (rap) appears in many related characters such as 放 (fàng, to put, to release), 教 (jiào, (bound form) to teach), 收 (shōu, to receive).
Definitions
- to dare
- daring
- (polite) may I venture
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA hand with a stick 攵 striking a beast 耳
Stroke Order
Practice writing 敢 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 敢
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 竟敢 | jìng gǎn | to have the impertinence |
| 胆敢 | dǎn gǎn | to dare (negative connotation) |
| 敢死队 | gǎn sǐ duì | suicide squad |
| 敢情 | gǎn qing | actually |
| 不敢当 | bù gǎn dāng | lit. I dare not (accept the honor) |
| 果敢 | guǒ gǎn | courageous |
| 敢作敢为 | gǎn zuò gǎn wéi | (idiom) to stop at nothing |
| 敢为人先 | gǎn wéi rén xiān | to dare to be first |
| 敢不从命 | gǎn bù cóng mìng | to not dare to disobey an order (idiom) |
| 不敢自专 | bù gǎn zì zhuān | not daring to act for oneself (idiom) |
| 敢为 | gǎn wéi | to dare to do |
| 敢作敢当 | gǎn zuò gǎn dāng | variant of 敢做敢當|敢做敢当[gan3 zuo4 gan3 dang1] |
| 敢做敢当 | gǎn zuò gǎn dāng | daring to act and courageous enough to take responsibility for it |
| 石敢当 | shí gǎn dāng | stone tablet erected to ward off evil spirits |
| 敢怒而不敢言 | gǎn nù ér bù gǎn yán | angry, but not daring to speak out (idiom) |
敢 appears in 28 compound words: 46 as the first character, 18 as the last, and 36 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 敢 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (8)
to have the courage to do what others have not done; to have the courage to take the lead
lit. I'm ashamed and dare not (accept the honor); fig. I do not deserve your praise.; You flatter me too much.
to have the courage to do what others have not done; to have the courage to take the lead
Example Sentences
他敢于挑战权威，提出了自己独特的见解。
Tā gǎnyú tiǎozhàn quánwēi, tíchū le zìjǐ dútè de jiànjiě.
He dares to challenge authority and puts forward his own unique insights.
俄乌战争四周年:一场难赢却又不敢结束的战争?
é wū zhàn zhēng sì zhōu nián : yī chǎng nán yíng què yòu bù gǎn jié shù de zhàn zhēng ?
The fourth anniversary of the Russian-Ukrainian war: a war that is difficult to win but does not dare to end?
特朗普再放狠話:誰敢「耍花招」就加到更高!還可能加收「許可費...
tè lǎng pǔ zài fàng hěn 話 誰 gǎn shuǎ huā zhāo jiù jiā dào gēng gāo ! 還 kě néng jiā shōu 許 kě 費 . . .
Trump issues another threat: Anyone who tries to "play tricks" will face even higher tariffs! Additional "licensing fees" may also be imposed...
快訊/川普警告各國:誰敢利用最高法院裁決耍花招「關稅會更高」
kuài 訊 chuān pǔ jǐng gào gè 國 誰 gǎn lì yòng zuì gāo fǎ yuàn cái 決 shuǎ huā zhāo 關 稅 會 gēng gāo
Breaking News / Trump Warns Countries: Anyone Who Dares to Game the Supreme Court Ruling with Tricks Will Face Higher Tariffs
...貿易協議還有效?」 專家曝1關鍵:各國不敢撤回
. . . 貿 yì 協 議 還 yǒu xiào ? 專 jiā pù 關 鍵 gè 國 bù gǎn chè huí
Is the trade agreement still valid? Experts reveal one key factor: countries dare not withdraw.
...奥会|家乡连线:“最强夫妻档”!电影都不敢这么演..
. . . ào huì jiā xiāng lián xiàn zuì qiáng fū qī dàng ! diàn yǐng dōu bù gǎn zhè má yǎn . .
Olympics | Hometown Connection: "The Strongest Couple Duo"! Even movies wouldn't dare portray it this way...
你竟敢这样对长辈说话？！
Nǐ jìnggǎn zhèyàng duì zhǎngbèi shuōhuà?!
How dare you speak like that to your elders and betters!
汤姆非常勇敢，不是么？
Tāngmǔ fēicháng yǒnggǎn, bù shì me?
Tom is very courageous, isn't he?
我不敢探查得太深, 以免发现可怕的事实。
Wǒ bù gǎn tànchá de tài shēn, yǐmiǎn fāxiàn kěpà de shìshí.
I dare not probe too deeply, lest I uncover the awful truth!
约翰看起来很勇敢，但其实是个胆小鬼。
Yuēhàn kànqǐlai hěn yǒnggǎn, dàn qíshí shì gè dǎnxiǎoguǐ.
John is brave in appearance, but is in reality a coward.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
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Is 敢 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
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