工

Work Radical (工)

gōng · 3 strokes

The work radical (工) is a radical found in Chinese. It appears in 7 characters related to work and associated concepts. 7 characters: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 1 in HSK 7-9. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system. Character data is based on the HSK 3.0 Standard (CLEC 2022 syllabus).

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

Work Radical at a Glance

Stroke Count3
Total Characters7
Most Common HSK LevelHSK 1 (1 characters)
Avg. Character Strokes6
ClassificationKangxi Radicals

All Work Radical Characters

HSK 1 (1 characters)

工gōngwork

HSK 2 (1 characters)

左zuǒleft

HSK 3 (1 characters)

差chādifference

HSK 4 (1 characters)

巧qiǎoopportunely

HSK 5 (1 characters)

巨jùvery large

HSK 6 (1 characters)

巩gǒng(bound form) to fix in place

HSK 7-9 (1 characters)

巫wūalso pr.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the work radical mean in Chinese characters?
The work radical (工) signals a semantic connection to work-related concepts. When you see 工 in a character, it typically indicates the character's meaning involves work or associated ideas. It appears in 7 characters in the HSK character set. Radical classifications follow the Kangxi radical system, the traditional standard for organizing Chinese characters.
How many characters use the work radical?
There are 7 characters with the work radical (工) in the HSK 3.0 character set (CLEC 2022 syllabus): 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 1 in HSK 7-9. The distribution across HSK levels reflects how fundamental work-related concepts are at each stage of Mandarin learning.
What are the most common work radical characters?
By frequency of use, the most common characters with the work radical (工) are: 工 (gōng, "work"), 差 (chā, "difference"), 左 (zuǒ, "left"), 巨 (jù, "very large"), 巧 (qiǎo, "opportunely"). These high-frequency characters are among the first work-related characters most learners encounter.
What HSK levels include work radical characters?
Characters with the work radical (工) appear across 7 HSK levels: 1 in HSK 1, 1 in HSK 2, 1 in HSK 3, 1 in HSK 4, 1 in HSK 5, 1 in HSK 6, 1 in HSK 7-9. The largest concentration is at HSK 1 with 1 characters. Earlier HSK levels introduce the most common work-related characters, while advanced levels add specialized or literary terms.

Sources & Standards

Radical classifications on this page follow the Kangxi radical system (康熙部首), the standard set of 214 radicals codified in the Kangxi Dictionary (康熙字典, 1716). Character data is based on 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.