工作 (gōngzuò) — Work in Mandarin
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#101 most common word
Pinyin colour key: tone 1 (high flat), tone 2 (rising), tone 3 (dipping), tone 4 (falling), neutral.
Tone breakdown
工作 is pronounced gōngzuò. Tap any syllable’s row to hear the whole word.
In a sentence
Wǒ měi tiān dōu yào gōngzuò.
I have to work every day.
Hear it, then say it right
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Start freeFrequently asked questions
What does 工作 mean?+
工作 (gōngzuò) means "Work" in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce 工作?+
工作 is pronounced gōngzuò. It uses the tone 1 (high flat), then the tone 4 (falling). Tap the character on this page to hear native audio.
How common is 工作 in Mandarin?+
工作 is the #101 most frequent word in spoken Mandarin, so it is one of the first words worth learning.
Words at a similar frequency
Master the tones first
What each tone sounds like and why it matters.
Why some tones change in connected speech.
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