困

• Pinyin: kùn
• Hanzi breakdown: 困 = 囗 (enclosure) + 木 (tree), a tree trapped in an enclosure — symbolising confinement

Meaning

Sleepy; drowsy; to be trapped or stuck. Most commonly used to describe feeling tired and wanting to sleep.

Has two main uses: (1) as an adjective meaning sleepy or drowsy, which is the most common daily usage; (2) as a verb meaning to be trapped, stuck, or besieged, as in 被困 (to be trapped). The sleepy meaning is extremely common in casual speech. Related words include 困难 (difficult, literally 'trapped and hard').

Examples

1. 我今天很困，昨天晚上没睡好。 I'm very sleepy today — I didn't sleep well last night.
2. 下午上课的时候我总是很困。 I'm always sleepy during afternoon classes.
3. 喝了咖啡以后就不困了。 After drinking coffee, I'm not sleepy any more.

Usage Guide

Context: daily life, tiredness, casual

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 我好困，想去睡觉了。(I'm so sleepy — I want to go to bed.)
• 你看起来很困，要不要先休息一下？(You look sleepy — do you want to rest for a bit?)

Don't Say

• 我很困难。(Don't confuse 困 with 困难 — 困 means sleepy, while 困难 means difficult. Say 我很困 for sleepy, or 这很困难 for difficult.)

Origin & History

Pictographic: 木 (tree) enclosed in 囗 (enclosure), representing a tree confined in a small space — the idea of being trapped or constrained. The sleepy meaning is an extension: being 'trapped' by fatigue.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal