Learn Chinese Characters

Meaning

work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft

Chinese: 劳动、工程或工人。

Hear the Four Tones

The same syllable “gong” becomes a different word in each tone. 工 is the 1st tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.

Stroke Order

Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.

Common Words

  • 工作gōng zuòto work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work
  • 工人gōng rénworker
  • 打工dǎ gōngto work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or during vacation
  • 员工yuán gōngstaff; personnel; employee
  • 工具gōng jùtool; instrument; utensil; means (to achieve a goal etc)

Example Sentence

爸爸的工作很忙。Bà ba de gōng zuò hěn máng.Dad's job is very busy.

爸爸Bà ba(coll.) fatherdeof工作gōng zuòto workhěnverymángbusy

Go deeper

Where this character comes from

A pictograph of a carpenter’s tool — a ruler or a set square. It means ‘work / craft / labour’.

A way to remember it

An I-shaped tool a worker holds — work.

Easy to confuse with

  • ‘Earth’: similar frame, but the lower line is the longer one.
  • gàn‘To do / dry’: a vertical stroke that pokes through the top.