工作
job; work; to work
HSK level
- Pinyin
- gōngzuò
- Part of speech
- noun
- Level
- HSK 1
- Strokes
- 10
- Register
- neutral
- Measure word
- 份 / 个
- In episodes
- 10
Stroke order for 工作
工作 is written with 10 strokes (工: 3, 作: 7). The animation replays automatically.
What does 工作 mean?
工作 (gōngzuò) means 'work' or 'job' — it functions as both a noun and a verb without changing form, like English 'work.'
As a noun, it refers to a job or employment: 找工作 ('look for a job'), 一份好工作 ('a good job'). As a verb, it means 'to work' in the sense of holding a job or being employed: 我在北京工作 ('I work in Beijing').
Two things differ from English: first, the standard measure word for 工作 as a job position is 份 (fèn), not 个; second, 工作 specifically implies employment or organized labor — it does not cover 'work' in the sense of 'this works' (use 行 xíng or 可以 kěyǐ) or 'homework' (use 作业 zuòyè). For physical labor or a specific task, 活 (huó) is more colloquial.
Note: 工作 works as both a noun ('a job') and a verb ('to work'). Same form, context tells you which.
Character by character
Memory hook: 工 looks like a carpenter's square — a tool. 作 is 'to do.' Together: 'tool-doing' = work.
Hear 工作 in real episodes
工作 appears in 10 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed, 4 of them below. Each sentence plays at the easiest difficulty it exists in — switch it to hear the same moment at your level, with full pinyin and English throughout.
有的大人，工作的时候，也做不下去。
Some adults can't keep going when they work, either.
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监狱里工作的人，不让他们进去。
The people working at the prison wouldn't let them in.
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一个先生说：以前，我们这里有很多人工作，现在没有了。
One man said: there used to be lots of people working here; now there aren't.
Citrus Greening Wiped Out 95% of Florida's Oranges. Can Gene Editing Bring Them Back?
星舰飞上去的时候，一个发动机不工作了。
When Starship was going up, one engine stopped working.
Starship Reaches Orbit for the First Time, Deploys 26 Starlink Satellites — Then Comes Home Early
Example sentences
我的工作很忙。
Wǒ de gōngzuò hěn máng.
My job is very busy.
neutral
他在北京工作。
Tā zài Běijīng gōngzuò.
He works in Beijing.
neutral
我想找一份新工作。
Wǒ xiǎng zhǎo yí fèn xīn gōngzuò.
I want to find a new job.
spoken
你的工作是什么？
Nǐ de gōngzuò shì shénme?
What's your job?
spoken
Common phrases with 工作
Synonyms
上班 specifically means 'to go to work / be at work' — the act of clocking in for the day. 工作 is broader: the job itself or the activity of working. You 上班 from 9 to 5, but you 工作 in finance.
职业 means 'profession / occupation' — the formal label for what you do (doctor, teacher, engineer). 工作 is the concrete job. On a form, 职业 asks your profession; 工作 asks what you do.
Colloquial, northern. Refers to a specific task or piece of work, often manual. 'There's still a lot of 活儿 to do.' 工作 is the general/standard term.
Don't confuse 工作 with
Frequently asked questions
Related words from the same episodes
Acquire it by listening
Meet 工作 again — in real Chinese, at your level.
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