How to Write 砍 (kǎn) — Meaning “to chop; to cut; to hack”

Imagine a person (欠, like a figure leaning forward) swinging a heavy stone axe (石) to chop a tree. The left side looks like a rock (石) and the right side looks like a person striking downward. This image of a stone blade hitting a target helps you recall 砍 means to chop or hack.

The left radical 石 must be written narrow and slightly smaller, with the horizontal stroke of 石 even with the top of 欠 on the right. The 欠 part has three strokes: first a left-falling stroke (丿), then a horizontal hook (㇇), and finally a right-falling stroke (㇏). A common mistake is making the 欠 too wide, which throws off the balance.

砍 (kǎn) means to chop or hack, while 矶 (jī) means a rocky bank or stone jetty protruding into water, and 矸 (gān) refers to a stone waste or gangue in mining. Visually, 砍 has 欠 on the right, but 矶 has 几 (table) and 矸 has 干 (dry). Their meanings are completely unrelated despite sharing the stone radical.

砍 is widely used in everyday life, especially with trees (砍树) and prices (砍价). Bargaining (砍价) is a common cultural practice in Chinese markets and street stalls, where shoppers negotiate by "chopping" the price down. It can also appear in expressions like 砍断 (to cut through) for physically severing objects.

Common words containing 砍 include: 砍树 (kǎn shù) — to chop down a tree; 砍价 (kǎn jià) — to bargain; to haggle over the price; 砍断 (kǎn duàn) — to chop off; to cut through.