The character 公 — “public”: how to write it and what it means
public, common
The Chinese character 公 is read gōng and means “public, common”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 公
公 has 4 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 公, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
Words with 公
- 公司companyHSK 1
- 公交车busHSK 2
- 公斤kilogramHSK 3
- 公园parkHSK 3
- 办公室officeHSK 3
- 公路highwayHSK 4
- 公里kilometerHSK 4
- 办公work (in an office)HSK 4
- 公共publicHSK 4
- 老公husband (colloq.)HSK 5
- 外公maternal grandfather (south)HSK 5
- 公寓apartmentHSK 5
- 公平fairHSK 5
- 公布make publicHSK 5
- 公务员civil servantHSK 5
- 公告official announcement; announceHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 公?
公 has 4 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 公 mean?
公 means “public, common”. It appears in 公司 (“company”), 公交车 (“bus”), 公斤 (“kilogram”), 公园 (“park”).
How do you pronounce 公?
公 is read gōng. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 公 have?
4 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 公 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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