How to Write 倝 (gàn) — Meaning “sunrise (ancient character)”

Imagine the top part as a tall person (like the radical 亻 but modified) standing under the bright sun (日), and the bottom 十 as the horizon or a cross-shaped flag marking the sunrise point. Visualize the sun just peeking over the cross at dawn to recall this ancient character.

Write the top part first: a short left-falling stroke, then a horizontal, then the sun radical (日) — note that the sun's vertical strokes are slightly curved inward. The bottom 十 should be centered under the sun, with the horizontal stroke stretching a bit wider than the sun to balance the character. Avoid making the top too tall or the bottom too narrow.

Visually, 卑 (bēi, 'low') has a flat top (白) over 十, while 卒 (zú, 'soldier') has a top like 亠 with 从 below. In meaning, 倝 is all about sunrise and is ancient/rare, whereas 卑 means humble/low and 卒 means soldier/finish. Their usage and appearance are very distinct.

倝 is an ancient character no longer used in daily modern Chinese; you will only encounter it in classical texts or historical dictionaries. It appears in a few literary terms like 倝倝 to describe the brilliant glow of sunrise, but it is not part of the HSK or common vocabulary.

Common words containing 倝 include: 倝 (gàn) — sunrise (ancient character); 倝倝 (gàn gàn) — the appearance of the rising sun.