若干
ruògān · HSK 7
a certain number
🔢 若 (ruò, how-much) + 干 (gān, count) = an unspecified some-number
Used for a vague quantity, like saying a number of or several in English. 若 carries the how-many sense and 干 the counting; together they hedge on the exact figure.
若 — grass radical 艹 + right hand 右
Originally a pictograph of a person tidying their hair with both hands, suggesting compliance or 'to follow.' Over time it was borrowed phonetically to mean 'if' or 'like/as,' which became its dominant modern meanings. The grass radical on top reflects later script standardization rather than the original image.
干 — pictograph of a forked weapon/shield
干 originally depicted a forked wooden weapon or shield used in ancient warfare, giving the early sense of 'to offend' or 'to oppose.' Over time it took on extended meanings like 'to concern' and 'trunk/stem.' In modern simplified Chinese it also absorbed 乾 (dry) and 幹 (to do; trunk), so one character now covers several unrelated words.