How to Write 倥 (kōng) — Meaning “urgent / blank / ignorant”

Imagine a person (亻) who is so busy and urgent that their head is empty like the sky (空). The left side is a person, the right side is 'empty sky' — so this person is rushing around with a blank, stressed mind.

The left radical 亻 (person) must be narrow and tall, with the first stroke a short slant, and the second stroke a vertical line ending with a hook. The right part 空 has a top 穴 (cave) with a dot on top, and a bottom 工 (work) — be careful not to make the top too wide, and keep the bottom balanced under the cover.

倥 has the person radical on the left and means 'urgent' or 'blank', while 俎 has a person radical but a different right side (且) and means 'chopping board' or 'ancestor'. 俞 has a person radical with a boat-like right side (俞) and means 'yes' or 'to satisfy'. Visually, 倥 has 空 on the right, 俎 has 且, and 俞 has 俞; their meanings are completely different.

倥 is very rare in daily speech — it appears mainly in the literary word 倥偬 (kōng zǒng), meaning 'pressed and busy with urgent tasks'. You might see it in classical poetry or formal writing describing a hectic life. It is not common in conversation, so learners should recognize it but not need to memorize it immediately.

Common words containing 倥 include: 倥偬 (kōng zǒng) — pressingly busy / urgent; 倥 (kōng) — urgent / blank / ignorant.