Chinese word

干燥

Pronunciation

Pinyingān zào

Meaning

  • adjectivedry

Example

冬天空气很干燥，要多喝水。dōng tiān kōng qì hěn gān zào yào duō hē shuǐ

The air is very dry in winter, so people should drink more water.

Illustration for 干燥 (dry)

More examples

药材脱水后变得很干燥，便于保存。yào cái tuō shuǐ hòu biàn de hěn gān zào biàn yú bǎo cún

After medicinal herbs are dehydrated, they become very dry and are easier to store.

Core concept

Water is no longer held in something, or is present only in a small amount, leaving it dry to the touch or in the surrounding air.

Common phrases

  • 干燥环境gān zào huán jìng

    dry surroundings

  • 土地干燥tǔ dì gān zào

    dry soil

  • 头发干燥tóu fa gān zào

    dry hair

Similar words

干旱gān hàn: Describing a region or climate made extremely dry by a long period of little rain.
干枯gān kū: Describing plants or other living growth that has dried out, wilted, or withered.
干爽gān shuǎng: Feeling pleasantly dry and fresh to the touch instead of damp or sticky.
干裂gān liè: Describing a surface that has become cracked because it has lost too much moisture.

Definition in Chinese

没有水分或含水很少，表面或内部干燥、缺乏湿润的状态。méi yǒu shuǐ fèn huò hán shuǐ hén shǎo biǎo miàn huò nèi bù gān zào quē fá shī rùn de zhuàng tài

Word origin

The compound pairs 干 (gān, "dry") with 燥 (zào, "parched or dry"), using two closely related characters to make the lack of moisture vivid.

Usage tips

  • When the intended meaning is the process of making something dry, Chinese normally chooses an action verb, while this adjective names the resulting condition.

Other meanings

  • dry outverb
  • drynessnoun
  • dry upverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 干燥化gān zào huàdesiccationnoun
  • 干燥剂gān zào jìdrying agentnoun

Word lists with this word