贡 (gòng) is a Chinese character meaning “tribute”. It is written from 工 (work) and 贝 (shell), one above the other, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “tribute; to contribute”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
工 + 贝
Top–bottom structure
Structure from: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：7 画 = 工 3 画 + 贝 4 画；声符判定据《说文解字》「貢，獻功也。从貝工聲」，读音实测 工 gōng 与 贡 gòng 同声母同韵母、仅声调不同
Memory aid
Work (工) sits on top of a cowrie shell (贝), the old Chinese money: what your labour earns is carried upward and handed over as tribute.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 贡献gòng xiàncontribution; to contribute贡 = gòng
- 进贡jìn gòngto pay tribute (to a ruler or court)贡 = gòng
Go deeper
All readings
tribute; to contribute
tribute; to pay tribute; to contribute; contribution
把物品献给朝廷或上级；也指贡献、奉献出力量。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 贡献gòng xiàncontribution; to contribute贡 = gòng
- 进贡jìn gòngto pay tribute (to a ruler or court)贡 = gòng
Sound component
工 family tone diff
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 贡 mean?
贡 (gòng) means tribute; to pay tribute; to contribute; contribution.
How do you pronounce 贡?
It is pronounced gòng.
What parts is 贡 made of?
工 (work) and 贝 (shell), one above the other. The recorded source is: 现代字形拆分，以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验：7 画 = 工 3 画 + 贝 4 画；声符判定据《说文解字》「貢，獻功也。从貝工聲」，读音实测 工 gōng 与 贡 gòng 同声母同韵母、仅声调不同. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 贡 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 贡?
贝. 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 贡?
Common ones are 贡献 and 进贡. The reading of 贡 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.