How to Write 肝 (gān) — Meaning “Liver.”

Picture the left radical ⺼ as a piece of meat, and the right side 干 as a 'dried' or 'dry' piece of food. Imagine a dried liver snack — the meat (⺼) has been dried (干) to make preserved liver. This connects the shape to the meaning 'liver.'

Start with the radical ⺼, which is written as 3 strokes: left-falling stroke, then a hook, then two short dashes inside. Then write 干 with 3 strokes: horizontal, horizontal, and a vertical stroke down. A common mistake is making the radical too wide or forgetting the small hook at the bottom of ⺼. Keep the left side narrow and the right side balanced.

㐆 (not in common use) looks like an ancient symbol and has no relation to body parts, while 肠 (cháng, meaning 'intestine') also uses the flesh radical but has different right components. 肝 specifically means 'liver,' 肠 means 'intestine,' and the right side of each gives the pronunciation. Visually, 肝 has 干 on the right, while 肠 has 昜 (simplified to 长).

肝 appears in medical terms like 肝脏 (gān zàng, liver) and food names like 猪肝 (zhū gān, pig liver). In Chinese culture, liver is believed to be related to emotions like anger, so expressions like "护肝" (protect the liver) are common in health advice. It is also used in slang like "肝游戏" (gān yóuxì), meaning to stay up late playing games, referencing liver damage from lack of sleep.

Common words containing 肝 include: 肝脏 (gān zàng) — Liver (the organ).; 猪肝 (zhū gān) — pig liver; 护肝 (hù gān) — to protect the liver.