困

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to trap; to surround; hard-pressed; stranded; destitute

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Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Ideographic compound (会意字)

A fence 囗 built around a tree 木

Components 囗木

trapped · Heisig RSH #547

pent in + 木 tree

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
不为酒困	bù wéi jiǔ kùn	not a slave to the bottle; able to enjoy alcohol in moderation; able to hold one's drink
面临困难	miàn lín kùn nán	to be faced with problems
困难在于	kùn nan zài yú	the problem is...
道德困境	dào dé kùn jìng	ethical dilemma
贫困地区	pín kùn dì qū	poor region; impoverished area
发困	fā kùn	to get sleepy
经济困境	jīng jì kùn jìng	economic difficulty
交困	jiāo kùn	beset with difficulties
困意	kùn yì	sleepiness; drowsiness
内忧外困	nèi yōu wài kùn	internal trouble and outside aggression (idiom); in a mess both domestically and abroad
困难	kùn nan	difficult; challenging; straitened circumstances; difficult situation
人困马乏	rén kùn mǎ fá	riders tired and horses weary (idiom); worn out; exhausted; spent; fatigued
咽下困难	yàn xià kùn nán	dysphagia (medicine)
受困	shòu kùn	trapped; stranded
春困	chūn kùn	spring fatigue; spring fever
困苦	kùn kǔ	deprivation; distressed; miserable
困局	kùn jú	dilemma; predicament; difficult situation
困惑不解	kùn huò bù jiě	to feel perplexed
贫困率	pín kùn lǜ	poverty rate
脱困	tuō kùn	to get out of a difficult situation

These characters use 困 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
困 sound part	kùn	to surround; to besiege; surrounded, in distress; poor; tired, sleepy
阃	kǔn	threshold; women's quarters
捆	kǔn	to bind, to tie, to truss up; a bundle
悃	kǔn	honest, sincere; loyal, true