工 (gōng): work; worker

Meanings

1 work; worker
2 craft; skill; industry

Examples

他在工厂工作。

Tā zài gōngchǎng gōngzuò.

He works in a factory.

工人们很辛苦。

Gōngrén men hěn xīnkǔ.

The workers work very hard.

这个工程很大。

Zhège gōngchéng hěn dà.

This project is very large.

Tips

memory

工 looks like a carpenter's square tool — representing work and craft. Core compounds: 工作 (work), 工人 (worker), 工厂 (factory), 工程 (engineering/project), 工资 (salary).

Components

pictograph

工 gōng

work; carpenter's square

工 pictures a carpenter's set-square or shaping tool — the prototype implement of skilled labor. The two horizontal strokes are the top and bottom edges of the ruler, joined by the vertical handle. Itself Kangxi radical #48, 工 indexes a small but high-impact family of work and craft characters: 巧 (skillful), 巨 (huge), 左 (left), 差 (difference), 项 (item).

Radical

Work Kangxi #48

Pictograph of a craftsman's set-square or carpentry tool. As a radical it points to work, craft, or skilled labor — 巧 (skillful), 巨 (great, originally a square ruler), 左 (left, a hand holding a tool), 差 (deviate). A small but historically important radical group.