How to Write 雇 (gù) — Meaning “to hire; to employ”

Imagine an employer standing at a door (户) hiring a bird (隹) to sing for customers. The bird accepts the job, so you 'hire' it — the picture helps link the components to the meaning of employment.

Write the top part 户 first: dot, horizontal stroke, then left downward stroke. Then the bottom 隹: left vertical stroke, then the five remaining strokes (dots and horizontals). A common mistake is making the top too big — 户 should be compact so the whole character is balanced.

雇 is the only one commonly used today, meaning 'to hire'. 䧹 is an ancient variant of 鹰 (eagle) and is extremely rare. 隺 is an obsolete character meaning 'crane' (the bird) and has a different top component (冖-like shape) instead of 户.

雇 appears in formal employment terms such as 雇佣 (to hire), 雇主 (employer), and 雇员 (employee). It is used in contracts, job advertisements, and business discussions, not for casual help like 'ask a friend to help' (which uses 请).

Common words containing 雇 include: 雇佣 (gù yōng) — to hire; to employ; 雇主 (gù zhǔ) — employer; 雇员 (gù yuán) — employee.