苦 (kǔ): bitter, suffer
苦 (kǔ) is a Chinese character meaning “bitter, suffer.” Classified as HSK Level 4 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 艹 (semantic) and 古 (phonetic). It ranks #634 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Etymologically derived, 苦 grass. Its radical form 艹 (grass) appears in many related characters such as 花 (huā, flower), 茶 (chá, tea), 菜 (cài, vegetable, dish).
Definitions
- bitter, suffer
Etymology & Origin
Stroke Order
Practice writing 苦 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 苦
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 痛苦adjective | tòng kǔ | pain | 5 |
| 辛苦adjective/verb | xīn kǔ | exhausting | 4 |
| 艰苦adjective | jiān kǔ | difficult | 5 |
| 酸甜苦辣 | suān tián kǔ là | lit. sour, sweet, bitter and spicy (idiom) | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 受苦 | shòu kǔ | to suffer hardship |
| 苦难 | kǔ nàn | suffering |
| 苦恼 | kǔ nǎo | vexed |
| 苦苦 | kǔ kǔ | strenuously |
| 挖苦 | wā kǔ | to speak sarcastically |
| 苦头 | kǔ tou | sufferings |
| 刻苦 | kè kǔ | hardworking |
| 苦衷 | kǔ zhōng | secret trouble |
| 苦力 | kǔ lì | bitter work |
| 苦痛 | kǔ tòng | pain |
| 苦涩 | kǔ sè | bitter and astringent |
| 困苦 | kùn kǔ | deprivation |
| 苦果 | kǔ guǒ | lit. bitter fruit |
| 穷苦 | qióng kǔ | impoverished |
| 苦闷 | kǔ mèn | depressed |
苦 appears in 100 compound words: 70 as the first character, 26 as the last, and 4 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 苦 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (36)
(Buddhism) the pain of parting with what (or whom) one loves, one of the eight distresses 八苦[ba1 ku3]
to spare no effort; to take pains; to take the trouble to; to go to the trouble of doing something
to spare no effort; to take pains; to take the trouble to; to go to the trouble of doing something
lit. the pain of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation; dire straits
persisting despite trials and tribulations (idiom); conspicuous determination
to struggle through difficult times; to work hard and push through despite hardship
to spare no effort; to take pains; to take the trouble to; to go to the trouble of doing something
to spare no effort; to take pains; to take the trouble to; to go to the trouble of doing something
lit. the pain of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation; dire straits
persisting despite trials and tribulations (idiom); conspicuous determination
Showing 12 of 36 idioms containing 苦.
Example Sentences
学习的过程虽然辛苦，但收获是值得的。
Xuéxí de guòchéng suīrán xīnkǔ, dàn shōuhuò shì zhíde de.
Although the learning process is hard, the gains are worth it.
社工苦勸「明天記得來」 曾抗拒照顧、無故生氣 ...
shè gōng kǔ 勸 míng tiān 記 dé 來 céng kàng jù zhào 顧 無 gù shēng 氣 . . .
Social worker earnestly urged, "Remember to come tomorrow." 曾抗拒照料、无故生气的...
...高股息⋯她想改買0056、00878!網苦勸:別賣成長資產
. . . gāo gǔ xī tā xiǎng gǎi 買 ! 網 kǔ 勸 別 賣 chéng 長 資 產
...high-dividend stocks... She wants to switch to 0056 and 00878! Netizens plead: Don't sell your growth assets!
調查:近8成外傭被剝削 苦主被毆兼扣薪 泣訴待遇「畜生不如」
調 chá jìn chéng wài 傭 bèi 剝 xiāo kǔ zhǔ bèi 毆 jiān kòu xīn qì 訴 dài yù chù shēng bù rú
Survey: Nearly 80% of Foreign Domestic Helpers Face Exploitation Victims Report Being Beaten and Wages Withheld Weeping Complaints: "Treatment Worse Than Animals"
移植心臟運送遭乾冰凍壞 男童苦撐2月亡
yí zhí xīn 臟 運 sòng zāo 乾 bīng 凍 壞 nán tóng kǔ 撐 yuè wáng
Transplanted heart delivery frozen in dry ice, boy died in two months of suffering
冬奧/苦等46年 美國男子冰球延長賽絕殺加拿大奪...
dōng 奧 kǔ děng nián měi 國 nán zǐ bīng qiú yán 長 賽 絕 殺 jiā ná dà 奪 . . .
Winter Olympics/46 Years of Waiting U.S. Men's Ice Hockey Blanks Canada in Extended...
什么痛苦能让你想用酒精去麻醉自己？
Shénme tòngkǔ néng ràng nǐ xiǎng yòng jiǔjīng qù mázuì zìjǐ?
What pain are you trying to cover up with alcohol?
你真想让汤姆受苦吗？
Nǐ zhēn xiǎng ràng Tāngmǔ shòukǔ ma?
Do you really want Tom to suffer?
愚笨的头脑使腿受苦。
Yúbèn de tóunǎo shǐ tuǐ shòukǔ.
A foolish head makes for weary feet.
我不能再承受这种痛苦。
Wǒ bù néng zài chéngshòu zhèzhǒng tòngkǔ.
I can't take this pain anymore.
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 苦 (kǔ) mean in Chinese?
What's the difference between 苦 and 甜?
How many strokes does 苦 have?
What is the radical of 苦?
What are the components of 苦?
What are common words containing 苦?
What characters sound the same as 苦 (kǔ)?
Is 苦 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 苦 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear native pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.