工 gōng — work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft
爸爸的工作很忙。Bà ba de gōng zuò hěn máng.Dad's job is very busy.
Common words: 工作 (gōng zuò)、工人 (gōng rén)、打工 (dǎ gōng)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "skill"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "skill", including 工 (gōng), 技 (jì), 艺 (yì). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "skill" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 工 (gōng), 技 (jì), 艺 (yì) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span gōng, jì, yì — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 工 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 工 gōngwork; worker; skill; profession; trade; craftUseful words: 工作, 工人
- 技 jìskillUseful words: 技术, 科技
- 艺 yìskill; artUseful words: 艺术, 工艺
Common words for these 3 "skill" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 工 (gōng) — so "skill" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
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技术jì shùtechnology; technique; skill科技kē jìscience and technology技巧jì qiǎoskill; technique艺术yì shùart工艺gōng yìarts and crafts; industrial arts文艺wén yìliterature and art
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 "skill".
All 3 characters
Open 工、技、艺 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.