工 gōng — work; craft · English

工

gōng

work; craft

At a glance · 工

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文象工匠用的矩尺之形，本义为工匠、技巧。小篆作「工」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

本义为工匠、工艺。

Structure

象形字，甲骨文象矩尺（工具）之形。

At a glance

Pinyingōng

Radical工

Strokes3

UnicodeU+5DE5

Character type象形

Theme器物

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English work; craft Work, craft, or a worker.

Français travail; artisan Travail, artisanat ou ouvrier.

Español trabajo; obrero Trabajo, oficio u obrero.

العربية عمل؛ حرفة عمل أو حرفة أو عامل.

Русский работа; ремесло Работа, ремесло или рабочий.

Common words

工作gōng zuòwork
工gōngwork

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