攻 (gōng) is a Chinese character meaning “to attack”. It is written from 工 (work) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side, and takes 7 strokes.
Build the character for “to attack”
Four steps: break it apart, build it, recall it, use it in a word.
StartLearn this character
Structure
工 + 攵
Left–right structure
Structure from: 说文解字：攻，擊也。从攴工聲；并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（工 3 笔 + 攵 4 笔 = 7 笔）
Memory aid
工 (work) on the left, 攵 (a hand swinging a stick) on the right: you go to work on something by hitting it — you attack it.
This is a memory aid, not the historical origin.
Stroke order
7 strokes
In real words
- 攻击gōng jīto attack; to assault攻 = gōng
- 进攻jìn gōngto attack; to go on the offensive攻 = gōng
Go deeper
All readings
to attack
to attack; to assault; to work at (a subject); to accuse
攻打；进击。也指专心研究某一门学问。 — studyhanzi 编写
Words with this reading
- 攻击gōng jīto attack; to assault攻 = gōng
- 进攻jìn gōngto attack; to go on the offensive攻 = gōng
Sound component
工 family exact
Stroke data: hanzi-writer-data (Arphic Public License) · licenses & attributions
Questions people ask about this character
What does 攻 mean?
攻 (gōng) means to attack; to assault; to work at (a subject); to accuse.
How do you pronounce 攻?
It is pronounced gōng.
What parts is 攻 made of?
工 (work) and 攵 (a hand holding a stick; marks an action done to something), side by side. The recorded source is: 说文解字：攻，擊也。从攴工聲；并以 hanzi-writer-data 笔画核验（工 3 笔 + 攵 4 笔 = 7 笔）. Components are the building blocks of the shape; the radical used for dictionary lookup is a separate thing.
How many strokes does 攻 have?
7. You can watch the stroke order on this page, or trace it yourself.
What is the radical of 攻?
攴. 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 攻?
Common ones are 攻击 and 进攻. The reading of 攻 is not the same in every word, so each word on this page shows which reading applies.