空 — how to write the kanji for “empty”

空 means “empty”, “sky” and “void”; it is a JLPT N4 kanji, taught in first grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 304th most used kanji. KANJIDIC2 gives it 1 on reading and 8 kun readings, so the word decides how you say it. Its parts sit stacked: 穴 (“hole”, its radical), strokes 1–5; 工 (“craft”), strokes 6–8, each finished before the next. On its own it is the word kara, “emptiness; being empty”. Its common words take the reading kuu: 空港 (“airport”), 航空 (“aviation”), 空気 (“air”) and 航空機 (“aircraft”). Chinese reads it kōng, “empty”, at HSK 3.

Strokes: 8
JLPT: N4
Radical: 穴 (“hole”)
On: クウ
Kun: あ·ける, そら, から

Stroke by stroke

Vertical ㇑topdownwards
Dot ㇔top leftdownwards
Horizontal hook ㇖top leftrightwards
Left-falling stroke ㇒topdown and left
Vertical-curve-hook ㇟topdown and right → rightwards
Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Vertical ㇑bottomdownwards
Horizontal ㇐bottom leftrightwards

Japanese and Chinese

Japanese and Chinese draw all 8 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.

Japanese · KanjiVG · 8 strokes

Chinese · Make Me a Hanzi · 8 strokes

Trace it

Follow the numbers. Tracing help

Readings

On (Chinese-derived): クウ kuu
Kun (native): あ·ける a-keru, そら sora, から kara, す·かす su-kasu, むな·しい muna-shii, あ·く a-ku (rare), あ·き a-ki (rare), す·く su-ku (rare)
Meanings: empty; sky; void; vacant; vacuum
Read kuu: 空港航空空気航空機空爆空間
School year: first grade
Newspaper rank: 304th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
Korean hanja: 공 gong
Common words: 55 in JMdict

On and kun, explained

Words with 空

Word	Reading	Meaning
空港	くうこう kuukou	airport
航空	こうくう koukuu	aviation; flying
空気	くうき kuuki	air; atmosphere
航空機	こうくうき koukuuki	aircraft
空爆	くうばく kuubaku	aerial bombing
空間	くうかん kuukan	space; room
空軍	くうぐん kuugun	air force
上空	じょうくう joukuu	sky; the skies
架空	かくう kakuu	fictitious; imaginary
空中	くうちゅう kuuchuu	the air; midair

Most common first (JMdict).

Practice sheet

Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.

Keep going

Same parts:

JLPT N4, in list order: