苛 meaning and stroke order
Severe, harsh; rigorous, exacting
How to write 苛, stroke by stroke
8 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 苛
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- severe
- exacting
How 苛 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grass.
艹 gives the meaning and 可 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 苛
苛 is grass 艹 on top of 可 (kě), which gives the sound. Picture prickly grass that scratches you at every step, the way a harsh, exacting person nags you over every small thing.
苛 rarely stands alone in modern Chinese. It mostly appears in words like 苛刻 (kēkè) and 严苛 (yánkē) to describe demanding conditions, rules, or people. Example: 他对员工很苛刻。(Tā duì yuángōng hěn kēkè.) He is very harsh with his employees.
Common mistake: Learners often read 苛 as kě because of its phonetic part 可, but it is first tone kē. Also do not confuse it with 荷 (hé, lotus), which has 何 under the grass instead of 可.
Common words with 苛
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 苛刻 | kēkè | harsh; severe; demanding | HSK 7-9 |
| 严苛 | yánkē | severe; harsh |
苛 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 苛
How many strokes are in 苛?
苛 is written with 8 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 苛 mean?
苛 (kē) means severe, harsh; rigorous, exacting. A common word with it is 苛刻 (kēkè), meaning "harsh; severe; demanding".
How do you pronounce 苛?
苛 is pronounced kē, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 苛?
The radical of 苛 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 苛 under this radical.
Is 苛 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 苛 is part of the HSK 7-9 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 苛刻 and 严格?
严格 (yángé) means strict and is usually neutral or positive, like a strict teacher. 苛刻 (kēkè) is negative and suggests the demands are unreasonable or unfair.
What does 苛求 mean?
苛求 (kēqiú) means to make excessive demands or to be overly critical of someone. For example, 不要苛求自己 (bú yào kēqiú zìjǐ) means don't be too hard on yourself.