同事 (tóngshì) · colleague

同事 (tóngshì) means “colleague; co-worker”. It is written with 2 characters: 同 (same) + 事 (matter). It is an HSK 3 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).

How 同事 is built

The characters

同 tóng · same

What 同 is made of

凡fán — any
- 几jǐ — how many
  - 丿 — falling stroke
  - 乙yǐ — second
- 丶 — dot
口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: Sharing a common 凡 tongue 口 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

事 shì · matter

What 事 is made of

一 — horizontal stroke
口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
- 一 — horizontal stroke
彐jì — snout
- 二 — two strokes
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
  - 一 — horizontal stroke
亅 — hook

Example sentences

他是我的同事。Tā shì wǒ de tóngshì.He is my colleague.

你和同事一起吃饭吗？Nǐ hé tóngshì yīqǐ chīfàn ma?Do you eat with your co-workers?

Questions about 同事

What does 同事 mean?

同事 (tóngshì) means “colleague; co-worker”.

How do you pronounce 同事?

同事 is pronounced tóngshì.

Which HSK level is 同事?

同事 is in HSK 3 (exam 2025) and HSK 2 (2021) and Old HSK 3.

Related words

Learn 同事 with its group

It is part of HSK 2 (2021) · Group 1: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.

Open the group