bitter; hardship; to suffer
HSK level
苦 is written with 8 strokes. The animation replays automatically.
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.
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
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.
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