关 guān to close
to close; turn off; concern; relation
How to remember 关: 丷 horns + 天 day = to close. The goat keeps pushing its horns through the gate all day, and the zookeeper sighs before trying once more to close it.
Component breakdown
关 = 丷 horns + 天 day
- 丷 horns
- 天 day
- 一 one
- 大 big
The goat keeps pushing its horns through the gate all day, and the zookeeper sighs before trying once more to close it.
How it came to be
The full form is a gate with the bar and pin drawn across the inside: a door barred from within. Simplification threw away the gate and kept a shape that no longer draws anything.
How it is used
- Close / shut / turn off, the opposite of 开 (kāi) - 关门 (guānmén) close the door, 关灯 (guāndēng) turn off the light, 开门 (kāimén) open the door.
- Also concern / relation - 关系 (guānxi) relationship, 关心 (guānxīn) care about, 关于 (guānyú) about / regarding.
Characters built with 关
Words with 关
- 没关系méiguānxìit doesn't matterHSK 1
- 关系guānxirelationHSK 3
- 关于guānyúaboutHSK 3
- 关心guānxīnbe concerned aboutHSK 3
- 关机guānjīto turn off (a machine or device)HSK 3
- 关注guānzhùto pay attention toHSK 3
- 有关yǒuguānto have something to do withHSK 3
- 关键guānjiàncrucialHSK 4
- 关闭guānbìto closeHSK 5
- 无关wúguānunrelatedHSK 5
- 海关hǎiguāncustoms (i.e. border crossing inspection)HSK 5
- 相关xiāngguānrelatedHSK 5
- 关怀guānhuáicareHSK 6
- 关爱guān’àito show concern and care forHSK 6
- 关联guānliánto be relatedHSK 6
- 开关kāiguānpower switchHSK 6
- 至关重要zhìguān-zhòngyàoextremely importantHSK 6
- 公关gōngguānpublic relationsHSK 7
- 关切guānqièto be deeply concernedHSK 7
- 关头guāntóujunctureHSK 7
- 关照guānzhàoto take careHSK 7
- 关节guānjiéjoint (physiology)HSK 7
- 息息相关xīxī-xiāngguānclosely bound up (idiom)HSK 7
- 把关bǎguānto guard a passHSK 7
- 无关紧要wúguān-jǐnyàoindifferentHSK 7
- 机关jīguānmechanismHSK 7
- 过关guòguānto cross a barrierHSK 7
- 难关nánguāndifficultyHSK 7
- 关税guānshuìcustoms dutyHSK 8
- 攻关gōngguānto storm a strategic passHSK 8
Example sentences
- 商店关门了。 Shāngdiàn guānmén le.The shop is closed.
- 你可以关窗户吗？ Nǐ kěyǐ guān chuānghu ma?Can you close the window?
- 这所监狱专门关押政治犯。 Zhè suǒ jiānyù zhuānmén guānyā zhèngzhìfàn.This prison specializes in incarcerating political prisoners.
- 她们的关系很好。 Tāmen de guānxi hěn hǎo.Those women get on very well with each other.