Meaning of 老公
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- (coll.) husband
- (coll.) eunuch
- see also 老公[lao3 gong1]
How to use 老公
老公 is the everyday, casual word for husband, used by wives when talking to or about their husband. It is warm and informal, while 丈夫 (zhàngfu) or 先生 (xiānsheng) sound more formal. Example: 我老公今天加班。 (Wǒ lǎogōng jīntiān jiābān.) My husband is working overtime today.
老 (lǎo) means old or long-standing, and 公 (gōng) can mean a man or male. Your 老公 is the man you have been with for a long time, your husband.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes say lǎogong with a neutral tone on 公, but that pronunciation is an old colloquial word for eunuch. Keep the first tone on gōng to mean husband. Also, 老 here does not mean the husband is old, so do not avoid the word for a young husband.
老公 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.
老 lǎo · prefix used before the surname of a per… · 6 strokes
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公 gōng · public · 4 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 老公.
| 老师 | lǎoshī | teacher |
| 老人 | lǎorén | old man or woman; the elderly |
| 公司 | gōngsī | company; firm; corporation |
| 办公室 | bàngōngshì | office; business premises |
| 公平 | gōngpíng | fair; impartial |
| 公园 | gōngyuán | park (for public recreation) |
| 公里 | gōnglǐ | kilometer |
| 老朋友 | lǎo péngyou | old friend; (slang) period |
| 老是 | lǎoshì | always |
| 公路 | gōnglù | highway; road |
| 公斤 | gōngjīn | kilogram (kg) |
| 公交车 | gōngjiāochē | public transport vehicle; town bus |
Questions about 老公
What does 老公 mean?
老公 (lǎogōng) means "(coll.) husband" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 老公?
老公 is made of 2 characters: 老 (6 strokes), 公 (4 strokes). That is 10 strokes in total.
Is 老公 an HSK word?
Yes. 老公 is on the HSK 4 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the female equivalent of 老公?
The matching word for wife is 老婆 (lǎopo). Couples often call each other 老公 and 老婆 directly as terms of endearment.
Can I use 老公 in formal situations?
It is fine in most daily conversation, but in formal writing or introductions people prefer 丈夫 (zhàngfu) or 先生 (xiānsheng). For example, on a form you would see 丈夫 rather than 老公.