How to write 工 (gōng, “work”)
工 (gōng), an HSK 1 character, means “work”, “worker” and “skill”. Make Me a Hanzi uses it in 41 other characters, such as 左 (“left”), 红 (“red”) and 经 (“classics”). Among the HSK words it appears in 工作 (“to work”), 工作日 (“workday”) and 工人 (“worker”). Japanese reads it kou, “craft”, as a JLPT N4 kanji.
- Pinyin
- gōng
- Strokes
- 3
- HSK
- 1
- Radical
- 工 (“work”)
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
As a top-bottom character it splits into 一 (“one”), stroke 1; 丄 (“above”), strokes 2–3, written the top first.
- Horizontal ㇐top leftrightwards
- Vertical ㇑topdown and right → downwards
- Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 3 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
工 inside other characters
Make Me a Hanzi count: 41 characters.
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Pinyin and meaning
| Pinyin | Meanings | Traditional | In words |
|---|---|---|---|
| gōng first tone | work; worker; skill; profession; trade | — | 工作 工作日 工人 打工 |
- HSK 2025 syllabus
- level 1
- 2021 standard
- level 1
- HSK 2.0
- in a level 1 word
- Words with it
- 378 in CC-CEDICT
Words with 工
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 工作 | gōngzuò | to work; to operate HSK 1 |
| 工作日 | gōngzuòrì | workday; working day HSK 3 |
| 工人 | gōngrén | worker HSK 4 |
| 打工 | dǎgōng | to work a temporary or casual job; to have a job outside of class… HSK 4 |
| 工厂 工廠 | gōngchǎng | factory HSK 4 |
| 工资 工資 | gōngzī | wages; pay HSK 4 |
| 人工 | réngōng | artificial; manpower HSK 5 |
| 手工 | shǒugōng | handwork; manual HSK 5 |
| 加工 | jiāgōng | to process; processing HSK 5 |
| 员工 員工 | yuángōng | staff; personnel HSK 5 |
HSK words first (CC-CEDICT).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several characters: worksheet maker.
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Contain it:
HSK 1, in list order: