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HSK 4

公里

kilometer

measure wordneutral
公
gōng1st tone
里
lǐ3rd tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
gōnglǐ
Part of speech
measure word
Level
HSK 4
Strokes
11
Register
neutral

Stroke order for 公里

公里 is written with 11 strokes (公: 4, 里: 7). The animation replays automatically.

What does 公里 mean?

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

公gōngpublic; metric; common
+
里lǐli (traditional distance unit); inside
=
公里

Memory hook: 公 (metric) + 里 (li, a distance unit) = the metric li, i.e. kilometer.

Example sentences

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

Common phrases with 公里

几公里jǐ gōnglǐhow many kilometers
每小时多少公里měi xiǎoshí duōshao gōnglǐhow many km per hour
平方公里píngfāng gōnglǐsquare kilometer
跑五公里pǎo wǔ gōnglǐto run five kilometers

Synonyms

千米qiānmǐ

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.

Don't confuse 公里 with

公斤gōngjīn

公斤 means 'kilogram' (weight); 公里 means 'kilometer' (distance). Both start with 公 (metric) but 斤 is weight, 里 is distance — easy to mix up.

里lǐ

里 alone is the traditional distance unit (~500m) or means 'inside.' 公里 is the modern kilometer. Don't drop the 公 when you mean the metric unit.

FAQ

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