攻
gōng · HSK 7
to attack; to accuse
⚔️ 攻 = 工 (work/craft) + 攵 (strike/hit) — craft a strike, i.e. attack
The left 工 means work or craft; the right 攵 (a variant of 攴) means to strike or hit with a hand. Together: to craft a strike — to attack or assault. Same 攵 component shows up in 改 (change) and 教 (teach).
攻 — 工 (gōng, phonetic) + 攵 (strike/action)
A semantic-phonetic compound: 攵 (a hand holding a stick) gives the meaning of striking or attacking, while 工 supplies the sound. Originally meaning to attack militarily, it later extended to 'work on' or 'study intensively,' as in 攻读.