字 字源HanziOrigin
中文EnglishFrançaisEspañolالعربيةРусский
空
kōng
empty, hollow
At a glance · 空

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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.

空 Evolution of the glyph
  1. 空 Object sketch
    Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
  2. 空 Oracle bone
    Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
  3. 空 Seal script
    Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
  4. 空 Clerical script
    Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
  5. 空 Regular script
    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。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

空字小篆从穴工声，为形声字；本义为孔窍、空虚，引申为空闲。甲骨文未见。

What the sketch shows

空 Object sketch

Origins & notes

空本义为孔、空虚，引申为天空、空无。

Structure

形声字，上部『穴』为意符，下部『工』为声符。

At a glance

Pinyinkōng
Radical穴
Strokes8
UnicodeU+7A7A
Character type形声
Theme状态

Six languages, one character

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

English empty, hollow Kong is a phonetic-semantic character meaning empty and hollow.
Français vide, creux Kong est un caractère phonético-sémantique signifiant vide et creux.
Español vacío, hueco Kong es un carácter fonosemántico que significa vacío y hueco.
العربية فارغ، أجوف كونغ حرف صوتي دلالي يعني الفارغ والأجوف.
Русский пустой, полый Кун — фоносемантический знак, означающий пустой и полый.

Common words

  • 空气kōng qìair
  • 天空tiān kōngsky

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