枪 qiāng — gun; firearm; rifle; spear; rifle; spear
警察身上配着一把枪。Jǐng chá shēn shàng pèi zhe yì bǎ qiāng.The police officer carries a gun.
Common words: 开枪 (kāi qiāng)、手枪 (shǒu qiāng)、枪毙 (qiāng bì)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "gun"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "gun", including 枪 (qiāng), 炮 (pào), 炮 (pào). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "gun" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 枪 (qiāng), 炮 (pào), 炮 (pào) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span qiāng, pào — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 枪 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 枪 qiānggun; firearm; rifle; spear; rifle; spearUseful words: 开枪, 手枪
- 炮 pàocannon; gun; firecracker; gun; cannonUseful words: 鞭炮, 马后炮
- 炮 pàocannon; gun; firecracker; gun; cannonUseful words: 鞭炮, 马后炮
Common words for these 3 "gun" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 枪 (qiāng) — so "gun" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
开枪kāi qiāngto open fire; to shoot a gun手枪shǒu qiāngpistol枪毙qiāng bìto execute by firing squad; to shoot dead; fig. to discard; to get rid of鞭炮biān pàofirecrackers; string of small firecrackers马后炮mǎ hòu pào(Chinese chess) moving the cannon after moving the horse away; (fig.) a useless action or comment; sth done after it's too late大炮dà pàobig gun; cannon; artillery; one who talks big鞭炮biān pàofirecrackers; string of small firecrackers马后炮mǎ hòu pào(Chinese chess) moving the cannon after moving the horse away; (fig.) a useless action or comment; sth done after it's too late大炮dà pàobig gun; cannon; artillery; one who talks big
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "gun".
炮 pào — cannon; gun; firecracker; gun; cannon
过年的时候，人们喜欢放鞭炮。Guò nián de shí hou, rén men xǐ huan fàng biān pào.During the New Year, people like to set off firecrackers.
Common words: 鞭炮 (biān pào)、马后炮 (mǎ hòu pào)、大炮 (dà pào)
炮 pào — cannon; gun; firecracker; gun; cannon
过年的时候，人们喜欢放鞭炮。Guò nián de shí hou, rén men xǐ huan fàng biān pào.During the New Year, people like to set off firecrackers.
Common words: 鞭炮 (biān pào)、马后炮 (mǎ hòu pào)、大炮 (dà pào)
All 3 characters
Open 枪、炮、炮 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.