How to Write 恭 (gōng) — Meaning “respectful”

Imagine the top part 共 looks like two hands holding something together, and the bottom 心 represents your heart. So visualize yourself holding your heart in both hands as you bow respectfully — that makes 恭 easy to remember as 'respectful'.

The stroke order is: first write 共 (from top to bottom), then add the heart radical 心 under it. A common mistake is to write the bottom part as the vertical heart radical 忄 instead of the full 心 — always use the wide, four-stroke 心 at the bottom.

恭 means respectful and uses 心 (heart) at the bottom. 忝 (tiǎn) means 'to feel ashamed' and has 小 (small) at the bottom, not 心. 忞 (mín) means 'to exert oneself' and also has 心 at the bottom, but its top part is different — 文 (wén) instead of 共. So focus on the top part to tell them apart.

恭 appears in common greetings like 恭喜 (gōng xǐ, congratulations), especially during Chinese New Year. It also appears in 恭敬 (gōng jìng, respectful and courteous), which describes polite behavior. In Chinese culture, being 恭敬 shows proper respect to elders or superiors, reflecting the value of humility.

Common words containing 恭 include: 恭喜 (gōng xǐ) — congratulations; 恭敬 (gōng jìng) — Respectful and courteous.; 恭维 (gōng wéi) — To flatter or compliment..