橄

gǎn
敢 + 木

Definitions

gǎn used in 橄欖|橄榄[gǎn lǎn]

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 敢 represents the sound.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 敢

About

橄 is a phono-semantic compound that appears almost exclusively in the two-character word 橄榄 (gǎnlǎn), meaning olive tree or olive. The semantic component 木 (mù, 'tree') classifies it as a woody plant, while the phonetic component 敢 (gǎn) gives its pronunciation. Because the olive tree was introduced to central China from foreign regions, this character was created as a phonetic transcription with the wood radical added as a semantic classifier to accurately record the plant in botanical texts.

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢吃橄榄。

Wǒ xǐhuān chī gǎnlǎn.

I like to eat olives.

橄榄油很健康。

Gǎnlǎn yóu hěn jiànkāng.

Olive oil is very healthy.

我用橄榄油做菜。

Wǒ yòng gǎnlǎn yóu zuò cài.

I use olive oil to cook.

橄榄树生长在南方。

Gǎnlǎn shù shēngzhǎng zài nánfāng.

Olive trees grow in the south.

他伸出了橄榄枝。

Tā shēnchūle gǎnlǎn zhī.

He extended an olive branch.

这个地区盛产橄榄。

Zhège dìqū shèngchǎn gǎnlǎn.

This region is abundant in olives.

橄榄的味道有点苦涩。

Gǎnlǎn de wèidào yǒudiǎn kǔsè.

The taste of olives is a bit bitter.

进口橄榄油价格很高。

Jìnkǒu gǎnlǎn yóu jiàgé hěn gāo.

Imported olive oil prices are very high.

Related Characters

Component: 敢

憨 瞰 阚 澉 噉 撖 闞 鬫

Component: 木

样 机 相 果 权 格 术 根 极 林 集 查 李 标

Example Words

橄榄 橄榄油 橄榄球 橄榄绿 橄榄枝 橄榄树 橄榄石