功 (gōng) — HSK 4 Recognition Character: Meaning, Radical & Stroke Order

gōng achievement, good work; merit; service 5 strokes · Radical 力 (strength) · HSK 4 recognition character (认读字)
👁 Recognition only: the official HSK 4 syllabus asks you to recognize 功 when reading — handwriting it is not required (that applies to the 150 writing characters). The stroke animation below is optional but helps memory.

Pronunciation & meaning

Pronounced gōng.

Stroke Order & Practice

Click Animate to see the correct stroke order, then Practice to trace it yourself.

1 2 3 4 5
功 — 5 strokes, numbered in writing order. 笔顺图（数字为下笔顺序）。

Decomposition

功 breaks down into 2 components arranged as Left + Right. Recognizing the components makes the character easier to remember and write.

功 =
工 left labor
力 right strength

Radical

The radical of 功 is 力 — meaning strength. Radicals are the indexing components used in Chinese dictionaries; they often hint at a character's broad meaning category.

Other HSK 4 characters that share this radical: 励勇.

How the character is built

功 is an ideographic compound — its meaning is suggested by the combination of its parts rather than by sound. Results produced by capable 力 labor 工; 工 also provides the pronunciation.

HSK 4 Words Containing 功

成功 chénggōng to succeed; successful
他成功通过了面试。
Tā chénggōng tōngguò le miànshì.
He successfully passed the interview.
功夫 gōngfu kung fu; skill; effort
中国功夫在世界上很有名。
Zhōngguó gōngfu zài shìjiè shàng hěn yǒumíng.
Chinese kung fu is famous around the world.
功课 gōngkè homework; schoolw ork
做完功课再去玩儿。
Zuò wán gōngkè zài qù wánr.
Finish your homework before going out to play.

Seen in the Real Exams / 真题例句

功 appears in 42 questions across the 19 mock & official HSK 4 exams on this site. Real exam sentences using it:

妻子减肥很成功。
From Mock Exam 06 →
决定成功的除了能力，还有态度。
From Mock Exam 13 →
学会选择正确的方法，才能事半功倍。
From Mock Exam 07 →

Tasks Featuring 功 / 相关任务

Words containing 功 appear in these official HSK 4 task scenarios — study the character in context:

📚 谈论教学、学习情况
Education & Learning · 功课
📚 介绍历史人物、历史事件
Historical Figures & Events · 成功
📚 谈论体育项目及比赛
Sports · 功夫

FAQ

What does 功 mean in Chinese?

功 (gōng) means achievement, good work; merit; service. It is one of the 441 characters HSK 4 requires you to recognize when reading (认读字).

How many strokes does 功 have?

功 is written in 5 strokes. Use the practice tool above to see the correct stroke order and trace it yourself.

What is the radical of 功?

The radical of 功 is 力 (strength). Other HSK 4 characters with the same radical include 励, 勇.

What is the pinyin for 功?

功 is pronounced gōng.

What HSK 4 words use 功?

In our HSK 4 vocabulary, 功 appears in 3 words, including 成功 (chénggōng), 功夫 (gōngfu), 功课 (gōngkè). See the full list above.

← 格 gé All Characters 供 gōng →