kilometer
HSK level
公里 is written with 11 strokes (公: 4, 里: 7). The animation replays automatically.
公里 (gōnglǐ) means 'kilometer,' the metric unit of distance equal to 1,000 meters.
It functions as a measure word placed directly after a number: 五公里 'five kilometers,' 一百公里 'one hundred kilometers.' Literally 'public/metric li' — 里 is the traditional Chinese unit of distance (about 500 meters), and the prefix 公 ('public / metric') marks the standardized international version. Two points differ from English.
First, no extra measure word is needed: you say 三公里 directly, not 'three of kilometer.' Second, China uses the metric system, so 公里 is the everyday unit for road distance and speed (时速一百公里 '100 km/h'); the older 里 still appears in idioms and rural speech but 公里 is standard for modern measurement. Register is neutral and used constantly in travel, maps, and directions.
Character by character
Memory hook: 公 (metric) + 里 (li, a distance unit) = the metric li, i.e. kilometer.
我家离学校三公里。
Wǒ jiā lí xuéxiào sān gōnglǐ.
My home is three kilometers from school.
spoken
这条路有多少公里？
Zhè tiáo lù yǒu duōshao gōnglǐ?
How many kilometers long is this road?
spoken
他每天跑五公里。
Tā měitiān pǎo wǔ gōnglǐ.
He runs five kilometers every day.
neutral
高速公路上限速一百二十公里。
Gāosù gōnglù shàng xiànsù yìbǎi èrshí gōnglǐ.
The speed limit on the highway is 120 kilometers per hour.
written
千米 ('thousand meters') is the strictly scientific/technical term for kilometer, used in physics and formal measurement. 公里 is the everyday word for the same unit. In daily speech and directions, use 公里; 千米 shows up in textbooks and technical writing.
Acquire it by listening
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