空 kōng — air; sky; empty; in vain; emptied; leisure
今天的天空特别蓝。Jīn tiān de tiān kōng tè bié lán.The sky is especially blue today.
Common words: 空气 (kōng qì)、有空儿 (yǒu kòng r)、天空 (tiān kōng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "empty"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "empty", including 空 (kōng), 白 (bái), 虚 (xū). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "empty" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 空 (kōng), 白 (bái), 虚 (xū) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span kōng, bái, xū — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 空 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 空 kōngair; sky; empty; in vain; emptied; leisureUseful words: 空气, 有空儿
- 白 báiwhite; snowy; empty; blank; bright; clearUseful words: 明白, 白天
- 虚 xūdevoid of content; void; false; empty; vainUseful words: 谦虚, 虚心
Common words for these 3 "empty" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 空 (kōng) — so "empty" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
空气kōng qìair; atmosphere有空儿yǒu kòng rerhua form of 有空天空tiān kōngsky明白míng baiclear; obvious; unequivocal; sensible白天bái tiāndaytime; during the day; day白色bái sèwhite; fig. reactionary; anti-communist谦虚qiān xūmodest; self-effacing; to make modest remarks虚心xū xīnopen-minded; humble虚假xū jiǎfalse; phony; sham
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 3 ways to say "empty".
白 bái — white; snowy; empty; blank; bright; clear
天上飘着白白的云。Tiān shàng piāo zhe bái bái de yún.White clouds are floating in the sky.
Common words: 明白 (míng bai)、白天 (bái tiān)、白色 (bái sè)
虚 xū — devoid of content; void; false; empty; vain
他很谦虚，从不骄傲。Tā hěn qiān xū, cóng bù jiāo ào.He is very modest and never arrogant.
Common words: 谦虚 (qiān xū)、虚心 (xū xīn)、虚假 (xū jiǎ)
All 3 characters
Open 空、白、虚 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.