How to Write 龚 (gōng) — Meaning “Gong (a Chinese surname)”

Imagine a dragon (龙) saying "Gong!" as it shares its name with a person. Or think of the bottom part 共 as "together" — the dragon and the person share the surname Gong. This links the visual parts to the sound and usage.

Write the top 龙 first: horizontal stroke, then left-falling, a vertical hook curve, then a left-falling, and finally a dot. Then write the bottom 共 with two vertical lines in the middle, not one. A common mistake is making the dragon part too wide or misplacing the dot on 龙.

Both characters share the top radical 龙, but 龚 has the bottom part 共 (together), while 龛 has the bottom 合 (combine). 龚 is a surname pronounced gōng, whereas 龛 is pronounced kān and means a shrine or niche. Their meanings and uses are completely different.

龚 is exclusively a Chinese surname, so you will see it in contexts like 龚先生 (Mr. Gong) or 龚老师 (Teacher Gong). It has no other common meaning today. People with this surname include the famous actress Gong Li, so it is recognizable but not as common as surnames like 王.

Common words containing 龚 include: 龚先生 (gōng xiān shēng) — Mr. Gong; 姓龚 (xìng gōng) — Surname Gong; 龚老师 (gōng lǎo shī) — Teacher Gong.