Learn Chinese Characters

Meaning

(surname); mountain pass; to close; to shut; to turn off; to concern

Chinese: 关闭、关口或关系。

Hear the Four Tones

The same syllable “guan” becomes a different word in each tone. 关 is the 1st tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.

Stroke Order

Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.

Common Words

  • 没关系méi guān xiit doesn't matter
  • 关上guān shàngto close (a door); to turn off (light, electrical equipment etc)
  • 关心guān xīnto be concerned about; to care about
  • 关机guān jīto turn off (a machine or device); to finish shooting a film
  • 关系guān xirelation; relationship; to concern; to affect

Example Sentence

请关上电视。Qǐng guān shàng diàn shì.Please turn off the TV.

Qǐngto ask关上guān shàngto close (a door)电视diàn shìtelevision

Go deeper

Where this character comes from

Simplified from 關: a gate (門) with the latch drawn across it. It means ‘to close / shut’, and ‘a pass / barrier’.

A way to remember it

A latch barring the gate — to close.

Easy to confuse with

  • kāi‘To open’: the opposite action — lifting the bar.