工

Tap the pinyin to hear it

work; worker; skill; profession; trade; craft; labor

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Pictograph (象形字)

A spade or other workman's tool

Components 一丄

work · Heisig RSH #76

— as a component also called: I-beam

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

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

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
工人	gōng rén	worker; CL:個\|个[ge4],名[ming2]
工作	gōng zuò	to work; (of a machine) to operate; job; work; task; CL:個\|个[ge4],份[fen4],項\|项[xiang4]
人体工学	rén tǐ gōng xué	ergonomics
人工	rén gōng	artificial; manpower; manual work
理工大学	lǐ gōng dà xué	University of Science and Engineering; also sometimes Institute of Technology
水电工	shuǐ diàn gōng	plumbing and electrical work; tradesman who does both plumbing and electrical work
西工区	Xī gōng Qū	Xigong, a district of Luoyang City 洛陽市\|洛阳市[Luo4 yang2 Shi4], Henan
工头	gōng tóu	foreman
工学	gōng xué	engineering; industrial science
工地	gōng dì	construction site
打工人	dǎ gōng rén	worker
动工	dòng gōng	to start (a building project)
化工	huà gōng	chemical industry (abbr. for 化學工業\|化学工业[hua4 xue2 gong1 ye4]); chemical engineering (abbr. …
金工	jīn gōng	metalworking
工行	Gōng háng	ICBC (Industrial and Commercial Bank of China); abbr. for 工商銀行\|工商银行[Gong1 Shang1 Yin2 hang…
上工	shàng gōng	to go to work; to start work
工会	gōng huì	labor union; trade union
手工	shǒu gōng	handwork; manual
水管工人	shuǐ guǎn gōng rén	plumber
工体	Gōng tǐ	abbr. for 北京工人體育場\|北京工人体育场[Bei3 jing1 Gong1 ren2 Ti3 yu4 chang3], Workers Stadium

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

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
工 sound part	gōng	labor, work; laborer, worker
红	hóng	red, vermillion; to blush, to flush; popular
空	kōng	hollow, empty, deserted, bare
江	jiāng	large river; the Yangtze; surname
经	jīng	the classics; to experience, to undergo
轻	qīng	light, gentle; simple, easy
径	jìng	path, diameter; straight, direct
攻	gōng	to accuse; to assault; to criticize
项	xiàng	neck, nape; item; a term in an equation
氢	qīng	ammonia
贡	gòng	to offer, to contribute; tribute, gifts
虹	hóng	rainbow
缸	gāng	earthen jug, crock, cistern
肛	gāng	anus
巩	gǒng	to bind, to guard, to strengthen; firm, secure, strong
汞	gǒng	mercury (element)
邛	qióng	mound; in distress
豇	jiāng	kidney bean; black-eyed pea
仝	tóng	together, same; surname