How to say “public” in Chinese

公共

gōnggòng

public

adjective · HSK 4 · topic “Society and country”

“Public” in Chinese is 公共, gōng gòng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

公共 is read gōng gòng: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

gōng — 1st tonehigh and level, like a long note

gòng — 4th tonesharply falling, like “Stop!”

How to write it

公

gōng — public, common

共

gòng — together, common

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “公共”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 公共. Tap the sound icon to listen.

请问，附近有公共厕所吗？qǐngwèn,fùjìnyǒugōnggòngcèsuǒmaExcuse me, is there a public restroom nearby?
公共场所禁止吸烟。gōnggòngchǎngsuǒjìnzhǐxīyānSmoking is prohibited in public places.
城市大力发展公共交通。chéngshìdàlìfāzhǎngōnggòngjiāotōngThe city is actively developing public transport.
请大家遵守公共场所的规定qǐngdàjiāzūnshǒugōnggòngchǎngsuǒdeguīdìngEveryone, please follow the rules for public places.
损坏公共设施要赔钱。sǔnhuàigōnggòngshèshīyàopéiqiánAnyone who damages public property will have to pay for it.
凡是公共场所，都禁止吸烟。fánshìgōnggòngchǎngsuǒ,dōujìnzhǐxīyānEvery public place — smoking is banned there.

More words from the lesson “Law and rules”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “public” in Chinese?

“Public” in Chinese is 公共, pinyin gōnggòng.

What does 公共 mean?

公共 (gōnggòng) means “public”.

How do you write 公共?

公共 is 2 characters: 公 (gōng) — public, common; 共 (gòng) — together, common. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 公共?

公共 is read gōnggòng. Tones: gōng — first tone, gòng — fourth tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“public” in the lesson “Law and rules”

This word is from the topic “Society and country” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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