How to Write 港 (gǎng) — Meaning “Port or harbor”

Imagine a "gang" of ships all docked together at a busy harbor, and the water radical 氵 reminds you it's on the water. So picture the gang of ships and the water to recall 港 as a port.

Write the water radical first (three strokes: dot, dot, lift), then the right part 巷. The right side has nine strokes: start with a horizontal, then vertical, horizontal, left-falling, horizontal, horizontal, left-falling, and final dot. A common mistake is making the right part too narrow or confusing its bottom with 巳 — keep the two horizontal strokes at the top of the right part separate.

港 has the right component 巷 (a lane), while 流 uses 㐬 (a flowing stream) and 浙 uses 折 (to break). Visually, 港's right side looks like 共 on top of 巳, whereas 流's right side has a curved upper part and 浙's right has a straight break line. In meaning, 港 is a port, 流 means to flow, and 浙 is a river name.

港 is most famous in the name 香港 (Xiānggǎng), meaning Hong Kong, one of the world's busiest ports. It also appears in words like 港口 (gǎngkǒu, port) and 港币 (gǎngbì, Hong Kong dollar). Culturally, Hong Kong is a key financial hub, so 港 often appears in business and travel contexts.

Common words containing 港 include: 香港 (xiāng gǎng) — Hong Kong; 港口 (gǎng kǒu) — Port or harbor; 港币 (gǎng bì) — Hong Kong Dollar (HKD).