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空

kōng
#272 most
frequent character
empty
adjective

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

空 pairs 穴 cave with 工 gōng, which supplies the sound. A cave is empty inside, giving the first meaning, 'hollow, void.' Read kōng, it grew to 'empty,' 'baseless,' and 'sky'; read kòng, it means 'free time,' 'vacate,' or 'lack.'

空 as a component in other characters

meaning1 character
腔
sound6 characters
控腔崆倥箜焢

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Example Sentences

这个箱子是空的。
zhègè xiāngzǐ shì kōng de 。
This box is empty.
他的背包里什么也没有，都是空的。
tāde bēibāo lǐ shénme yěméiyǒu ， dūshì kōng de 。
There’s nothing in his backpack; it’s all empty.
桌子上放着一个空瓶子。
zhuōzǐ shàng fàng zháo yígè kōng píngzǐ 。
There is an empty bottle on the table.

Same Characters, Different Readings

空kòng
to empty, vacant, unoccupied

Words with similar meanings

空洞kōngdòng
hollow
More often used to describe a physical space that is not just empty but also lacking substance.
无内容wúnèiróng
void
Refers to a lack of content, can imply emptiness in a more abstract sense.

Words Starting With 空

空调kōng tiáo
air conditioning
空气kōng qì
air; atmosphere
空间kōng jiān
space
空前绝后kōng qián jué hòu
unprecedented and never to be duplicated; the first and the last; unmatched; unique
空想kōng xiǎng
daydream; fantasy; to fantasize

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