刚

剛

gāng

冈 + 刂

HSK 2.0Level 4

HSK 3.0Level 3

Definitions

gāng (adverb) just; barely; exactly

gāng (adjective) hard; firm; strong

Etymology

Simplified form of 剛. Phonosemantic compound. 刂 represents the meaning and 岡 represents the sound.

Semantic: 刂 Phonetic: 冈

About

刚 is the simplified form of 剛, a phono-semantic compound. The right-side component 刂 (the knife radical) suggests something sharp and unyielding, while the left-side component 冈 (derived from 岡) gives the sound. The character denotes physical hardness, stiffness, and formidable strength, as well as abstract qualities like firm resolve and upright moral character. It also functions as a temporal adverb meaning an action has just occurred, equivalent to "just now" or "exactly".

Etymology Hide

Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)

Bronze Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)

Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)

Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我刚到北京。

Wǒ gāng dào Běijīng.

I just arrived in Beijing.

我刚刚吃完午饭。

Wǒ gānggāng chī wán wǔfàn.

I just finished eating lunch.

他刚离开公司。

Tā gāng líkāi gōngsī.

He just left the company.

这双鞋刚买就坏了。

Zhè shuāng xié gāng mǎi jiù huài le.

These shoes broke just after being bought.

他性格刚强，从不轻易放弃。

Tā xìnggé gāngqiáng, cóng bù qīngyì fàngqì.

He has a strong and unyielding character and never gives up easily.

她刚才说的话很有道理。

Tā gāngcái shuō de huà hěn yǒu dàolǐ.

What she said just now was very reasonable.

他的观点刚好和我的相反。

Tā de guāndiǎn gānghǎo hé wǒ de xiāngfǎn.

His viewpoint happens to be the opposite of mine.

经过刚才的讨论，问题刚刚得到澄清。

Jīngguò gāngcái de tǎolùn, wèntí gānggāng dédào chéngqīng.

After the discussion just now, the issue has just been clarified.

Related Characters

Component: 冈

Component: 刂

刚