空虚 (kōngxū) · empty

空虚 (kōngxū) means “empty; hollow; lonely”. It is written with 2 characters: 空 (empty) + 虚 (false). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).

How 空虚 is built

What 空 is made of

穴xué — cave
- 宀 — roof
  - 丶 — dot
  - 冖mì — cover
- 八bā — eight
工gōng — labor
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丄shàng — above
  - 丨 — vertical stroke
  - 一 — horizontal stroke

Origin hint: 穴 gives the meaning, 工 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)

What 虚 is made of

孩子们走后，她觉得心里很空虚。Háizimen zǒu hòu, tā juéde xīnlǐ hěn kōngxū.After the children left, she felt empty inside.

多读书，生活就不会空虚。Duō dúshū, shēnghuó jiù búhuì kōngxū.Read more and life won't feel empty.

What does 空虚 mean?

空虚 (kōngxū) means “empty; hollow; lonely”.

How do you pronounce 空虚?

空虚 is pronounced kōngxū.

Which HSK level is 空虚?

空虚 is in Old HSK 6.

Learn 空虚 with its group

It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 108: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.