1. Gan (simplified Chinese: 干) with the first tone (mā):
* Pronunciation: Gān (sounds like "gan" in "can")
* This is the most common pronunciation of "Gan" and is often used in words like 干活 (gān huó, to work), 干净 (gānjìng, clean) and 干嘛 (gānmǎ, what are you doing?).
2. Gan (simplified Chinese: 杆) with the third tone (mǎ):
* Pronunciation: Gǎn (sounds like "gan" in "can" with a slightly higher pitch)
* This tone is less common than the first tone. Some words using this pronunciation are 旗杆 (qí gǎn, flagpole), 杆子 (gǎnzi, pole) and 拐杖杆 (guǎizhàng gǎn, cane).
3. Gan (simplified Chinese: 敢) with the fourth tone (mà):
* Pronunciation: Gàn (sounds like "gan" in "can" with a falling pitch)
* This tone is also used in some words like 敢说 (gǎn shuō, dare to say), 敢做 (gǎn zuò, dare to do) and 敢情 (gǎn qíng, it seems).
It's important to note that the pronunciation of "Gan" can vary slightly depending on the dialect. However, the tones provide the most significant difference in pronunciation.