苦
bitter; hardship; to suffer
HSK level
- Pinyin
- kǔ
- Part of speech
- adjective
- Level
- HSK 4
- Strokes
- 8
- Register
- neutral
Stroke order for 苦
苦 is written with 8 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
What does 苦 mean?
苦 (kǔ) is primarily an adjective meaning 'bitter' — the taste of unsweetened coffee, bitter melon, or strong tea.
By extension it means 'hard, painful, difficult,' describing a tough life or grueling experience, and as a verb-like element it can mean 'to suffer' or 'to make someone suffer.' English keeps taste and hardship in separate words (bitter vs. hard), but Chinese lets 苦 carry both: 这个药很苦 (this medicine is bitter) and 他的生活很苦 (his life is hard) use the same character.
The 'hardship' sense is culturally loaded — 吃苦 ('to eat bitterness') means to endure hardship, seen as a virtue. As an adverb it also means 'painstakingly / bitterly' (苦练, 苦等). Note that unlike English 'bitter,' 苦 is not used for a resentful mood; for that Chinese uses different words.
Note: Everyday word in both speech and writing. In its 'hardship' sense it carries a slightly emotional, sometimes literary weight, especially in set phrases like 吃苦 and 苦日子.
Example sentences
这杯咖啡太苦了，我要加点糖。
Zhè bēi kāfēi tài kǔ le, wǒ yào jiā diǎn táng.
This coffee is too bitter; I want to add some sugar.
spoken
小时候家里很穷，日子过得很苦。
Xiǎoshíhou jiā lǐ hěn qióng, rìzi guò de hěn kǔ.
When I was little my family was poor and life was hard.
neutral
为了考上大学，他吃了很多苦。
Wèile kǎoshàng dàxué, tā chī le hěn duō kǔ.
To get into university, he endured a lot of hardship.
neutral
良药苦口。
Liángyào kǔkǒu.
Good medicine tastes bitter.
written
Common phrases with 苦
Synonyms
辛苦 focuses on toil and being worn out from effort; it's also a set thank-you (辛苦了). 苦 alone is broader — it covers the bitter taste and general hardship, not just laborious effort.
痛苦 means acute suffering or agony (physical or emotional). 苦 is milder and more everyday — a hard life or a bitter taste, not intense pain.
Don't confuse 苦 with
FAQ
Acquire it by listening
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