困 (kùn): to trap, to surround, hard-pressed
困 (kùn) is a Chinese character meaning “to trap.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 囗 (structural) and 木 (structural). It ranks #868 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 困 a fence 囗 built around a tree 木. Its radical form 囗 (enclosure) appears in many related characters such as 四 (sì, four), 回 (huí, to circle), 国 (guó, country).
Definitions
- to trap
- to surround
- hard-pressed
Etymology & Origin
ideographicA fence 囗 built around a tree 木
Decomposition: ⿴囗木 (layout: full-surround)
Stroke Order
Practice writing 困 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 困
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 困难adjective/noun | kùn nan | difficult | 4 |
| 困扰verb | kùn rǎo | to perplex | 6 |
| 贫困adjective | pín kùn | impoverished | 6 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 困惑 | kùn huò | bewildered |
| 困境 | kùn jìng | predicament |
| 穷困 | qióng kùn | destitute |
| 困苦 | kùn kǔ | deprivation |
| 围困 | wéi kùn | to besiege |
| 困窘 | kùn jiǒng | embarrassment |
| 困倦 | kùn juàn | tired |
| 困顿 | kùn dùn | fatigued |
| 困厄 | kùn è | in deep water |
| 困难在于 | kùn nan zài yú | the problem is... |
| 不为酒困 | bù wéi jiǔ kùn | not a slave to the bottle |
| 发困 | fā kùn | to get sleepy |
| 困意 | kùn yì | sleepiness |
| 道德困境 | dào dé kùn jìng | ethical dilemma |
| 被困 | bèi kùn | to be trapped |
困 appears in 46 compound words: 35 as the first character, 39 as the last, and 26 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 困 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (6)
a cornered beast will still fight (idiom); to fight like an animal at bay
Showing 5 of 6 idioms containing 困.
Example Sentences
了解困字的来源，有助于理解中国文化。
le xiè kùn zì de lái yuán , yǒu zhù yú lǐ xiè zhōng guó wén huā .
Understanding the origin of the character "困" (kùn) helps to comprehend Chinese culture.
被困晴空塔升降机长达5个半小时 约20人全部...
bèi kùn qíng kōng tǎ shēng jiàng jī cháng dá 5 gè bàn xiǎo shí yuē 2 0 rén quán bù . . .
Trapped in the Skytree lift for 5 and a half hours, about 20 people all...
东京晴空塔爆电梯急坠事故 约20人受困5.5小时 1200游客滞留观景台
dōng jīng qíng kōng tǎ bào diàn tī jí zhuì shì gù yuē 2 0 rén shòu kùn 5 . 5 xiǎo shí 1 2 0 0 yóu kè zhì liú guàn jǐng tái
Tokyo Skytree exploded elevator crash About 20 people were trapped for 5.5 hours 1,200 tourists stranded at the observation deck
东京晴空塔爆电梯急坠事故 约20人受困 大批游客滞留观景台
dōng jīng qíng kōng tǎ bào diàn tī jí zhuì shì gù yuē 2 0 rén shòu kùn dà pī yóu kè zhì liú guàn jǐng tái
Tokyo Skytree exploded and fell sharply, about 20 people were trapped, and a large number of tourists were stranded at the observation deck
上水“怪兽仓”两幼犬被困笼内 一狗断尾惹乌蝇 区议员联络仓主无果...
shàng shuǐ guài shòu cāng liǎng yòu quǎn bèi kùn lóng nèi yī gǒu duàn wěi rě wū yíng qū yì yuán lián lào cāng zhǔ wú guǒ . . .
Two puppies in the "monster warehouse" in Sheung Shui were trapped in a cage, and a dog broke off its tail to provoke flies.
他怎么在这样的贫困中谋生？
Tā zěnme zài zhèyàng de pínkùn zhōng móushēng?
How did he make his living in such poverty?
我怎么才能摆脱这种困境？
Wǒ zěnme cáinéng bǎituō zhèzhǒng kùnjìng?
How do I get out of this mess?
他年轻的时候穷困潦倒。
Tā niánqīng de shíhou qióngkùn liǎodǎo.
He was terribly poor when he was young.
他很困惑该走哪条路。
Tā hěn kùnhuò gāi zǒu nǎ tiáo lù.
He was doubtful about which way to take.
我编译这个程序有些困难。
Wǒ biānyì zhège chéngxù yǒuxiē kùnnan.
I'm having some problems compiling this software.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 困 (kùn) mean in Chinese?
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What characters sound the same as 困 (kùn)?
Is 困 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 困 with real-time feedback
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