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糠 — pronunciations, definitions, and tags
HanziPinyinEnglishTags
糠kāngchaff, bran, husk; poorn, 17 strokes, radical 米, rank #39507, Very Hard
kāng(kang1) T1
  1. 1chaff, bran, husk; poor
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March 24, 2026

糠(穅)kāng(kang1)

The character 糠 (kāng) refers to the outer husk or chaff of grains, which is often discarded during the milling process. It can also denote something of poor quality or value, reflecting its association with byproducts of agriculture. In some contexts, it may be used to describe something inferior or of low status.

Strokes17Radical米Frequency#39507DifficultyVery Hard
Cultural Note

In Chinese culture, rice is a staple food, and the processing of rice involves separating the edible grain from the husk (糠), which is often used as animal feed, reflecting the importance of every part of the crop in traditional practices.

Memory Tip

Imagine a farmer named Kang who is surrounded by piles of chaff (糠) after harvesting rice. The sound 'kāng' can remind you of 'chaff' and the notion of something that is left behind and not valuable.

Meanings of 糠

kāng(kang1)
1chaff, bran, husk; poor
Exercise 1 of 2

By ear

Play it, then pick what 糠 means.

About 糠

糠Simplified
穅Traditional
17Strokes
米Radical
名词míngcínoun (n.)Part of Speech
#—Frequency Rank

Podcast: 糠

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Podcast: 糠

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AI Study Notes for 糠

Quick Contrast

糠 (kāng) vs 粉 (fěn) — use 糠 for husks or chaff, while 粉 refers specifically to flour or powder.

Usage Notes

When using 糠, be careful not to confuse it with similar-sounding characters. It is typically used in informal contexts; however, it can appear in agricultural discussions. Common collocations include 糠的价值 (the value of chaff) and 糠米 (husked rice).

HSK Study Tips

While 糠 is not in the HSK vocabulary list, it connects with other agricultural terms at HSK Level 3 and above. Students should focus on understanding its usage in context, especially when discussing food or farming.

Common Mistakes

Learners often confuse 糠 with similar characters like 糖 (táng, meaning sugar). For instance, saying 糠糖 (kāngtáng) instead of 糖 (táng) to mean sugar is incorrect; the correct term is 糖.

AI-enhanced 2026-03-24

Pronunciation of 糠

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Etymology of 糠

Formation Typepictophonetic
六书 ClassificationPhono-semantic (形声字)~80-90% of characters
Explanation

Phonosemantic compound. 米 represents the meaning and 康 represents the sound. Simplified form of 穅.

Memory Hint

rice

Semantic (meaning)米
+
Phonetic (sound)康
Learn more about Phono-semantic (形声字) characters
Exercise 1 of 1

Origin

糠 = 米 + 康. What kind of character does that make it?

Decomposition of 糠

IDS Structure⿰米康
糠Full Character
=
米Mi3
left
康Kang1
right
Exercise 1 of 2

Parts

Which of these is part of 糠?

How to say chaff, bran, husk; poor in Chinese

“chaff, bran, husk; poor” in Chinese is糠kāng

The character 糠 (kāng) refers to the outer husk or chaff of grains, which is often discarded during the milling process. It can also denote something of poor quality or value, reflecting its association with byproducts of agriculture. In some contexts, it may be used to describe something inferior or of low status.

When to use 糠

When using 糠, be careful not to confuse it with similar-sounding characters. It is typically used in informal contexts; however, it can appear in agricultural discussions. Common collocations include 糠的价值 (the value of chaff) and 糠米 (husked rice).

糠 or something close to it

糠 (kāng) vs 粉 (fěn) — use 糠 for husks or chaff, while 粉 refers specifically to flour or powder.

What learners get wrong

Learners often confuse 糠 with similar characters like 糖 (táng, meaning sugar). For instance, saying 糠糖 (kāngtáng) instead of 糖 (táng) to mean sugar is incorrect; the correct term is 糖.

Write 糠

糠

Practice writing 糠 stroke by stroke. Watch the animation to learn the stroke order, then try writing it yourself.

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Grammar Patterns of 糠

糠 functions as a noun — it names a person, place, thing, or concept. Place it as a subject before the verb (主+谓) or as an object after the verb (谓+宾). Most Chinese nouns require a measure word between the number and the noun (e.g. 一个/三本). The example sentences below show it in action, with practice buttons (Listen, Practice Writing, Practice Speaking) on every line.

Exercise 1 of 2

Fill the gap

Type the missing word. Pinyin works; then pick the character.

肚饿____好吃,饥不择食.

Hunger will relish the plainest fare.

Example Sentences for 糠 (1)

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1
肚饿糠好吃,饥不择食.

dù è kāng hǎo chī, , jī bù zé.

Hunger will relish the plainest fare.

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Word Family of 糠

Words Containing This Character9
糠kānghusk
米糠bran
糠醛furfural (chemistry)
筛糠to sift chaff篩糠
糟糠junk
谷糠grain chaff穀糠
吹糠见米instant results吹糠見米
稻糠rice husk
秕糠chaff
Exercise 1 of 4

Words with 糠

What does 米糠 mean?

Frequently Asked Questions about 糠

In culinary terms, 糠 refers to the waste material from grains that is not consumed, such as the chaff of rice.

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