赶 (gǎn): to hurry; to rush

Meanings

1 to hurry; to rush
2 to catch (a bus/train)
3 to drive away; to chase

Characters

赶

gǎn

to hurry; to rush; to catch up

Contains 走 (walk) radical - hurrying involves fast walking.

Examples

HSK 1

快赶不上飞机了！

Kuài gǎnbushàng fēijī le!

We're about to miss the plane!

HSK 1

他赶着去上班。

Tā gǎn zhe qù shàngbān.

He's rushing to work.

HSK 2

赶公交车。

Gǎn gōngjiāochē.

To catch the bus.

Tips

usage

赶上 means 'to catch up with' or 'to be in time for.' 赶不上 means 'to miss/not catch.' 赶走 means 'to drive away.'

Components

radical

走 zǒu

to walk; to run

The walk/run radical anchors the meaning - hurrying is fundamentally rapid pedestrian motion. Same radical groups 赶 with 起 (rise), 越 (transcend), 趣 (interest), 超 (surpass). The radical depicts a person striding forward, body bent - perfect for someone hurrying to catch a bus.

phonetic

干 gān

dry; to do (here phonetic)

Provides the sound (gān → gǎn with tone shift). The simplified form replaced the elaborate traditional phonetic 旱 with the simpler 干 to economise strokes. Same phonetic family as 杆 (pole), 肝 (liver), 竿 (bamboo pole).