手工 meaning in English

shǒugōng

handwork; manual

HSK 4noun7 strokes

Meaning of 手工

Definitions from CC-CEDICT.

shǒugōng

handwork
manual

How to use 手工

手工 describes things made by hand rather than by machine, and it also means handicrafts or crafts class at school. It often comes before a noun, as in 手工面 (handmade noodles). Example: 这个包是手工做的。(Zhège bāo shì shǒugōng zuò de.) This bag is handmade.

手 (shǒu) means hand and 工 (gōng) means work, so 手工 is simply work done by hand. Picture 工 as a simple tool held in your 手.

Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 手功, because 功 (gōng) sounds the same, but the correct character is 工 with no 力 on the side. Also keep the tones clear: third tone shǒu, then first tone gōng.

手工 in example sentences

Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.

萨sà米mǐ有yǒu一yī些xiē手shǒu工gōng艺yì术shù方fāng面miàn的de事shì情qíng要yào做zuò。

Sami had some arts and crafts things to do.

孩hái子zi们men常cháng用yòng彩cǎi纸zhǐ制zhì作zuò手shǒu工gōng艺yì品pǐn。

Children often use construction paper to make crafts.

该gāi地dì区qū因yīn它tā的de手shǒu工gōng业yè而ér出chū名míng。

This area is famous for its handcraft business.

这zhè块kuài地dì毯tǎn是shì手shǒu工gōng制zhì作zuò的de。

This rug is handmade.

我wǒ在zài新xīn竹zhú买mǎi了le一yī块kuài手shǒu工gōng柿shì饼bǐng，味wèi道dào甜tián而ér不bù腻nì。

I bought a handmade dried persimmon in Hsinchu. It tastes sweet but not greasy.

Stroke order for each character

Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.

手 shǒu · hand · 4 strokes

工 gōng · labor · 3 strokes

Related words

Words that share a character with 手工.

工作	gōngzuò	to work; (of a machine) to operate
手机	shǒujī	cell phone; mobile phone
工人	gōngrén	worker
洗手间	xǐshǒujiān	toilet; lavatory
手表	shǒubiǎo	wristwatch
打工	dǎgōng	to work a temporary or casual job; (of students) to have a job outside of class time, or d
举手	jǔshǒu	to raise a hand; to put up one's hand (as signal)
手指	shǒuzhǐ	finger
对手	duìshǒu	opponent; rival
工厂	gōngchǎng	factory
选手	xuǎnshǒu	athlete; contestant
工具	gōngjù	tool; instrument

Questions about 手工

What does 手工 mean?

手工 (shǒugōng) means "handwork; manual" and is used as a noun.

How do you write 手工?

手工 is made of 2 characters: 手 (4 strokes), 工 (3 strokes). That is 7 strokes in total.

Is 手工 an HSK word?

Yes. 手工 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.

What is the difference between 手工 and 手动?

手工 (shǒugōng) is about making things by hand, like crafts or handmade goods. 手动 (shǒudòng) means operating something manually instead of automatically, like a manual gear or a manual setting.

How do you say handmade or a handicraft in Chinese?

For handmade, say 手工的 or 手工做的, for example 手工饺子 (handmade dumplings). A handicraft item is often called 手工艺品 (shǒugōngyìpǐn).