孔 (kǒng) is a Chinese character meaning “hole”. It is written from 子 (child; son) and 乚 (bent hook), side by side, and takes 4 strokes.
Build the character for “hole; opening”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
子 + 乚
Left–right structure
Structure from: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：笔画1–3＝子，笔画4＝竖弯钩 乚）
Memory aid
A child (子) stands next to a hook (乚) that curves away instead of closing. The gap the hook leaves open is the hole.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
4 strokes
In real words
- 毛孔máo kǒngpore (of the skin)孔 = kǒng
- 面孔miàn kǒngface孔 = kǒng
- 孔孟kǒng mèngConfucius and Mencius (the two central Confucian thinkers)孔 = kǒng
- 孔雀kǒng quèpeacock孔 = kǒng
Go deeper
All readings
hole
hole; opening; aperture
小洞；窟窿。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 毛孔máo kǒngpore (of the skin)孔 = kǒng
- 面孔miàn kǒngface孔 = kǒng
- 孔孟kǒng mèngConfucius and Mencius (the two central Confucian thinkers)孔 = kǒng
- 孔雀kǒng quèpeacock孔 = kǒng
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 孔 mean?
孔 (kǒng) means hole; opening; aperture.
How do you pronounce 孔?
It is pronounced kǒng.
What parts is 孔 made of?
子 (child; son) and 乚 (bent hook), side by side. The recorded source is: studyhanzi 现代字形拆分（对照 hanzi-writer-data 笔顺：笔画1–3＝子，笔画4＝竖弯钩 乚）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 孔 have?
4. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 孔?
子. The radical is how the character is filed in a dictionary — it is not the whole story of how the character is built.
What words use 孔?
Common ones are 毛孔 and 面孔. The reading of 孔 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.