功夫
HSK 4 (exam 2025)HSK 3 (2021)Old HSK 4
功夫 (gōngfu) · kung fu
功夫 (gōngfu) means “kung fu; skill; effort”. It is written with 2 characters: 功 (achievement) + 夫 (man). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 功夫 is built
The characters
功 gōng · achievement
What 功 is made of
- 工gōng — labor
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丄shàng — above
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 力lì — power
- 丿 — falling stroke
Origin hint: Results produced by capable 力 labor 工; 工 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
夫 fū · man
What 夫 is made of
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 大dà — big
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 人rén — person
Origin hint: A man 大 wearing a coming-of-age hairpin 一 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
Example sentences
他会中国功夫。Tā huì Zhōngguó gōngfu.He knows Chinese kung fu.
你学过功夫吗？Nǐ xué guo gōngfu ma?Have you ever learned kung fu?
Questions about 功夫
What does 功夫 mean?
功夫 (gōngfu) means “kung fu; skill; effort”.
How do you pronounce 功夫?
功夫 is pronounced gōngfu.
Which HSK level is 功夫?
功夫 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and HSK 3 (2021) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
- 成功chénggōngsuccess
- 功课gōngkèhomework
- 功能gōngnéngfunction
- 用功yònggōnghardworking (at studies)
- 功劳gōngláocontribution
- 功效gōngxiàoeffect
- 急功近利jígōngjìnlìeager for quick success
- 气功qìgōngqigong (breathing exercises)
- 大夫dàifudoctor
- 工夫gōngfutime
Learn 功夫 with its group
It is part of HSK 3 (2021) · Group 54: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.