工

Work Component (工)

gōng · 3 strokes

The work component (工) is a component found in Chinese characters. In Chinese, components serve different roles: semantic elements contribute meaning, phonetic elements suggest pronunciation, and structural elements provide the character's framework. It primarily serves as a phonetic element, contributing pronunciation patterns to the characters where it appears. Characters containing 工 often share the pronunciation gong or hong: 攻, 巩, 贡, 红, 虹. It typically appears on the right side of a character. 17 characters: 2 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 5 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 4 in HSK 7-9. Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.

Radical vs. Component: 工 is also a Kangxi radical (work). As a radical, it classifies characters in dictionaries. As a component, it appears as a building block contributing meaning, sound, or structure. For radical-specific details, see the Work Radical (工) page.

Work Component at a Glance

Stroke Count3
Total Characters17
Primary RolePhonetic (pronunciation)
Typical Positionright side
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 4 (5 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes7
Also a Kangxi Radical?Yes — view radical page

All Work Component Characters

HSK 2 (2 characters)

红hóngred左zuǒleft

HSK 3 (2 characters)

空kōngempty, sky差chādifference

HSK 4 (5 characters)

江jiāngriver功gōngmeritorious deed or service巧qiǎoopportunely式shìtype项xiàngback of neck

HSK 5 (1 characters)

贡gòngto offer tribute

HSK 6 (3 characters)

攻gōngto attack虹hóngrainbow巩gǒng(bound form) to fix in place

HSK 7-9 (4 characters)

缸gāngjar杠gàngcoffin-bearing pole (old)扛gāngto raise aloft with both hands巫wūalso pr.

Frequently Asked Questions

What characters contain the work component (工)?
There are 17 characters containing the work component (工) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 2 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 5 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 4 in HSK 7-9. The most frequently used include 空 (kōng, "empty, sky"), 式 (shì, "type"), 功 (gōng, "meritorious deed or service"), 红 (hóng, "red"), 项 (xiàng, "back of neck"). Components are identified through character decomposition analysis.
Is 工 a radical or a component?
工 is both. As a Kangxi radical, 工 (work) is part of the traditional system of 214 radicals used to classify Chinese characters in dictionaries. As a component, 工 is a building block that contributes meaning, sound, or structure to compound characters. When a character "has the work radical," it means 工 is the character's primary classifier. When a character "contains the work component," it means 工 appears in the character's decomposition, regardless of whether it serves as the primary radical.
What sound does the work component (工) give to characters?
When 工 serves as a phonetic element (in 9 of its 17 characters), it commonly contributes these pronunciation patterns: gong (攻, 巩, 贡); hong (红, 虹); jiang (江). Phonetic components are one of the most powerful tools for reading unfamiliar characters — if you recognize 工 in a new character, there is a good chance the pronunciation is related. Note that tones and initial consonants may vary across characters sharing the same phonetic component.
Where does 工 appear in a character?
The work component (工) most commonly appears on the right side of a character. Full position breakdown: right side (6 characters), left side (5 characters), inner (enclosed) part (3 characters), bottom (1 characters), top (1 characters), base (1 characters). Knowing where a component typically sits helps with character recognition — when you see 工 in its usual position, you can quickly identify it and infer the character's meaning or pronunciation.
What HSK levels include work component characters?
Characters containing the work component (工) appear across 6 HSK levels: 2 in HSK 2, 2 in HSK 3, 5 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 3 in HSK 6, 4 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 4 with 5 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common work-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Components are identified through structural decomposition analysis of characters in the HSK 3.0 Standard (《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》), published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC), Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022 revision. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首).