Jobs and work in Chinese
The Chinese word for "jobs and work" is 工作 (gōng zuò). Below are 64 Chinese words for jobs and work, each with pinyin, English and its level in the new HSK 3.0 word list. They cover HSK 2 to HSK 7-9, in the order a learner meets them.
People and Roles HSK 3 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 大人 | dà ren | adult, grown-up | 3 |
| 老人 | lǎo rén | old person; the elderly | 3 |
| 病人 | bìng rén | patient, sick person | 3 |
| 姐妹 | jiě mèi | sisters | 3 |
| 爱人 | ài ren | husband or wife (mainland usage) | 3 |
| 夫妻 | fū qī | husband and wife, married couple | 3 |
| 游客 | yóu kè | tourist, visitor | 3 |
| 画家 | huà jiā | painter, artist | 3 |
| 运动员 | yùn dòng yuán | athlete | 3 |
| 名人 | míng rén | famous person, celebrity | 3 |
Work, Society & Culture HSK 3 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 国家 | guó jiā | country; nation; state | 3 |
| 世界 | shì jiè | world | 3 |
| 历史 | lì shǐ | history | 3 |
| 文化 | wén huà | culture | 3 |
| 会议 | huì yì | meeting | 3 |
| 节日 | jié rì | holiday | 3 |
| 参加 | cān jiā | to participate | 3 |
| 举行 | jǔ xíng | to hold (a meeting, ceremony etc) | 4 |
| 班 | bān | class; team; shift | 2 |
| 护照 | hù zhào | passport | 3 |
Professions & roles HSK 4 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 职业 | zhí yè | occupation/profession | 4 |
| 律师 | lǜ shī | lawyer | 4 |
| 警察 | jǐng chá | police officer | 4 |
| 护士 | hù shi | nurse | 4 |
| 记者 | jì zhě | reporter/journalist | 4 |
| 教授 | jiào shòu | professor | 4 |
| 大夫 | dài fu | doctor (spoken) | 4 |
| 师傅 | shī fu | master/skilled worker | 4 |
| 演员 | yǎn yuán | actor/actress | 4 |
| 作者 | zuò zhě | author/writer | 4 |
| 售货员 | shòu huò yuán | salesperson | – |
Work tasks & management HSK 4 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 加班 | jiā bān | work overtime | 4 |
| 出差 | chū chāi | go on a business trip | 4 |
| 任务 | rèn wu | task; mission | 4 |
| 负责 | fù zé | be responsible for | 4 |
| 管理 | guǎn lǐ | manage; management | 4 |
| 组织 | zǔ zhī | organise; organisation | 5 |
| 进行 | jìn xíng | carry out; conduct (formal) | 4 |
| 安排 | ān pái | arrange; arrangement | 4 |
| 计划 | jì huà | plan (noun or verb) | 4 |
| 总结 | zǒng jié | summarise; summary | 4 |
| 准时 | zhǔn shí | on time; punctual | 4 |
| 招聘 | zhāo pìn | recruit; hire | 4 |
| 干 | gàn | do / work (colloquial) | 3 |
| 继续 | jì xù | continue | 4 |
| 推迟 | tuī chí | postpone; delay | 4 |
| 当 | dāng | serve as; act as | 4 |
| 集合 | jí hé | gather; assemble | 5 |
| 取 | qǔ | pick up; collect | 4 |
| 辛苦 | xīn kǔ | hard work; laborious | 4 |
| 专门 | zhuān mén | specially; specifically | 4 |
Work, Labor & Employment HSK 5 lesson
| Chinese | Pinyin | English | HSK 3.0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 部门 | bù mén | department | 4 |
| 辞职 | cí zhí | to resign | 5 |
| 从事 | cóng shì | to be engaged in (a profession) | 5 |
| 打工 | dǎ gōng | to work a temporary/casual job | 4 |
| 担任 | dān rèn | to hold (a post/position) | 5 |
| 干活儿 | gàn huó r | to do (physical) work | 4 |
| 工程师 | gōng chéng shī | engineer | 5 |
| 工人 | gōng rén | worker | 4 |
| 雇佣 | gù yōng | to employ, hire | 7-9 |
| 会计 | kuài jì | accountant; accounting | 6 |
| 经营 | jīng yíng | to run, operate (a business) | 5 |
| 劳动 | láo dòng | labor, work | 5 |
| 老板 | lǎo bǎn | boss | 5 |
Every word links to its dictionary entry, with audio, example sentences and stroke order. The words are grouped by the GraphChinese lesson that teaches them, so a few in each group belong to the lesson and sit a little outside the topic.
More topics:
- family
- food
- numbers
- colors
- body parts
- emotions and feelings
- weather
- clothes
- health and illness
- time words
- places
- transport and travel
- school
- sports and hobbies
- nature and animals
- shopping and money
- directions
- greetings and everyday phrases
- pronouns
- measure words
- house and home
- everyday verbs
- personality
- technology
- business
- conjunctions
- entertainment and the arts
- festivals and holidays
- communication
- All topics
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "jobs and work" in Chinese?
工作 (gōng zuò), meaning "work; job". The most common words in this topic are 大人 (dà ren, adult, grown-up), 老人 (lǎo rén, old person), 病人 (bìng rén, patient, sick person), 姐妹 (jiě mèi, sisters).
How many Chinese words for jobs and work do I need?
This page lists 64, from HSK 2 to HSK 7-9. The 10 at the top are enough to start; the rest follow level by level.
What do the HSK levels on this page mean?
Each word shows where the new HSK 3.0 word list places it, from level 1 to the 7-9 band. A dash means the word is taught in the course and is not on the HSK 3.0 list. HSK 3.0, complete.
How do I pronounce these words?
The pinyin beside each word gives the sound and the tone. Each word links to its dictionary entry, where you can hear it. If the tone marks are new to you, start with the four tones, explained.
GraphChinese teaches these words in dependency order, with audio, and only moves on when each one is proven. The whole course, HSK 0 through HSK 6, is $49 once for lifetime access.
Start at your true level