How to Write 冈 (gāng) — Meaning “ridge; mound”

Picture a hill or ridge (冈) seen from above — the outer box is the base of the hill, and the inner 乂 (cross) marks the top where two slopes meet. Think of a mountain ridge shaped like an X inside a square.

Write the outer 冂 first with the left vertical stroke, then the top and right. Next add the inner 乂 (two diagonal strokes crossing in the center). Keep the box slightly wider than tall to avoid making it look like a closed square.

冂 is a radical meaning "wide enclosure" and is never used alone as a word, while 冈 is a complete character meaning ridge. 円 is a Japanese character for "yen" and is a circle with a line — visually rounder, whereas 冈 has straight lines and an X inside.

冈 appears in place names like 井冈山 (Jinggang Mountains) and words for "ridge" such as 山冈. While not common in daily speech, it is important for geographic terms and is often seen in historical or cultural contexts related to mountains.

Common words containing 冈 include: 山冈 (shān gāng) — Hill or ridge; 井冈山 (jǐng gāng shān) — Jinggang Mountains; 冈峦 (gāng luán) — ridges and peaks; hills.