công

Level ≈A2 (approx.) nounadjective Sino-Vietnamese Top 3,000 most common

Hanoi [kəwŋ͡m˧˧]Huế [kəwŋ͡m˧˧]Saigon [kəwŋ͡m˧˧] browser voice

Syllables · tones

cônglevelngang

Each syllable carries one of six tones; the mark on the vowel tells you which. How the six tones sound →

công means peafowl; peacock; peahen.

Chinese characters: 工 Classifier: con — e.g. một con công (one peafowl)

Meanings of công in English

Noun

peafowl; peacock; peahen; peachick ≈ khổng tước

Noun

work
accomplishment
- có công với nướcto have achieved greatness for one's homeland
- Lục súc tranh côngSix Livestock Animals Arguing Who Works the Hardest / Who Contributes the Most
Confucianism competence, one of the tứ đức (“four virtues”) that women are supposed to have

Adjective

formal, of a school public or state-owned ≈ chung
- việc côngpublic affairs
- trường cônga public school

Noun

the amount of labor that will factor in one's pay
- ngày côngworking day

Noun

neologism top; seme (in a male same-sex relationship)

Noun

in compounds duke

Words with công

Synonyms and antonyms of công

Antonyms

tư riêng thụ

Example sentences with công

Các công nhân đang đình công. The workers are on strike.
Bạn có được trả công hậu hĩnh không? Are you being paid well?
Ba công nhân đã chết. Three workers died.
Các công nhân đang đe dọa sẽ đình công. The workers are threatening to go on strike.
Các công nhân đang cân nhắc việc đình công. The workers are considering going on strike.
Những người lao động yêu cầu tăng tiền công. The workers pushed for a raise in salary.
Các công nhân đang đình công đòi tăng lương. The workers are on strike for higher pay.
Anh ấy là công nhân tại một nhà máy ô tô. He is a worker at a car factory.

Bilingual example sentences from Tatoeba (tatoeba.org, CC BY 2.0 FR).

Historical script (chữ Nôm / Hán)

Before the Latin alphabet (chữ Quốc ngữ) became standard, công could be written as 䲲, 公, 𲍜. Today Vietnamese is written only in the Latin alphabet.

Etymology

From Proto-Vietic *k-voːŋ. Cognate with North Central Vietnamese cuông, Arem vùəŋ, Parauk kaong:, Semai kuwok, Semnam kwɔːŋ.

Frequently asked questions

What does công mean in English?

công (noun) means "peafowl; peacock; peahen".

How do you pronounce công?

IPA: Hanoi [kəwŋ͡m˧˧]; Saigon [kəwŋ͡m˧˧]. Tones: công — level tone (ngang).

Is công a Sino-Vietnamese word?

Yes. công is a Sino-Vietnamese word from the Chinese characters 工.

What classifier is used with công?

Common classifiers: con — for example "một con công" (one peafowl).

Meanings, pronunciation and etymology from English Wiktionary (wiktionary.org, via kaikki.org; CC BY-SA 4.0), reviewed and edited; example sentences from Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR). IPA shown for three accents: Hanoi (Northern), Huế (Central) and Saigon (Southern). The Listen button uses your browser's Vietnamese voice, for reference only. Levels are approximate, estimated from word frequency. Spotted a mistake? Let NgonNgu know.