Meaning of 空
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- empty
- air
- sky
- in vain
- to empty
- vacant
- unoccupied
- space
- leisure
- free time
How to use 空
Read kōng, it means empty, sky, or air, as in 天空 (tiānkōng) sky and 空气 (kōngqì) air. Read kòng, it means free time or a vacant spot, as in 有空儿 (yǒukòngr) to be free. Example: 你明天有空吗？(Nǐ míngtiān yǒu kòng ma?) Are you free tomorrow?
空 has 穴 (xué, cave) on top and 工 (gōng) below. Picture a cave with nothing inside but a worker's tool, so the space is empty.
Common mistake: Learners often say 有空 with first tone, but free time is kòng with fourth tone. Keep kōng for empty, sky, and air, as in 空调 (kōngtiáo) air conditioner.
空 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
空 kōng · empty · 8 strokes
- 1
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- 3
- 4
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Related words
Words that share a character with 空.
| 空气 | kōngqì | air; atmosphere |
| 有空儿 | yǒukòngr | erhua form of 有空[you3 kong4] |
| 天空 | tiānkōng | sky |
| 空调 | kōngtiáo | air conditioning; air conditioner (including units that have a heating mode) |
| 空儿 | kòngr | spare time; free time |
| 空间 | kōngjiān | space; room; (fig.) scope; leeway |
| 航空 | hángkōng | aviation |
| 填空 | tiánkòng | to fill a job vacancy; to fill in a blank (e.g. on a form, questionnaire or exam paper) |
| 太空 | tàikōng | outer space |
| 空中 | kōngzhōng | in the sky; in the air |
| 空军 | kōngjūn | air force; (slang) to fail to catch anything (on a fishing trip); to get skunked |
| 上空 | shàngkōng | the skies above a certain place; (aviation) airspace; (Tw) topless |
Questions about 空
What does 空 mean?
空 (kōng) means "empty; air" and is used as a adjective, adverb and verb.
How do you write 空?
空 is made of 1 character: 空 (8 strokes). That is 8 strokes in total.
Is 空 an HSK word?
Yes. 空 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How do I say a seat or room is empty in Chinese?
Use 空 (kōng) as an adjective, often with 的 or 着. For example, 这个座位是空的 (Zhège zuòwèi shì kōng de) means this seat is empty.
What does 空 mean before a verb, like 空跑一趟?
Before a verb, 空 (kōng) works as an adverb meaning in vain or for nothing. 空跑一趟 (kōng pǎo yí tàng) means to make a trip for nothing.