炕

匟

kàng

亢 + 火

Frequency#2975

Definitions

kàng (noun) heated brick bed (traditional furniture in northern China)

kàng (verb) to dry by heat; to bake

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 火 represents the meaning and 亢 represents the sound. Simplified form of 匟.

Semantic: 火 Phonetic: 亢

About

The character "炕" is structured with the fire radical (火) on the left and the phonetic component "亢" on the right, denoting its inherent connection to heat. Etymologically, it originated from verbs meaning to dry or roast by fire, and its meaning gradually specialized to refer specifically to the raised brick bed platform heated by flues, known as a kang, which serves as a combined sleeping and warming surface in northern Chinese architecture.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我家的炕很暖和。

wǒ jiā de kàng hěn nuǎnhuo.

The kang in my house is very warm.

我喜欢坐在炕上读书。

wǒ xǐhuan zuò zài kàng shang dúshū.

I like to sit on the kang and read.

奶奶在炕上铺了新褥子。

nǎinai zài kàng shang pū le xīn rùzi.

Grandma spread a new mattress on the kang.

北方农村的冬天离不开火炕。

běifāng nóngcūn de dōngtiān lí bù kāi huǒkàng.

The heated kang is indispensable in northern rural villages in winter.

一家人围坐在炕上吃晚饭。

yī jiā rén wéizuò zài kàng shang chī wǎnfàn.

The whole family sat around on the kang to eat dinner.

天气冷了，该把炕烧热了。

tiānqì lěng le, gāi bǎ kàng shāo rè le.

The weather has turned cold; it's time to heat up the kang.

他跳上炕，钻进了温暖的被窝。

tā tiào shàng kàng, zuān jìnle wēnnuǎn de bèiwō.

He jumped onto the kang and burrowed into the warm bedding.

小时候，我们常在炕洞里烤红薯。

xiǎoshíhou, wǒmen cháng zài kàng dòng lǐ kǎo hóngshǔ.

When we were children, we often baked sweet potatoes in the kang's fire chamber.

Related Characters

Component: 亢

Component: 火

炕