苦 meaning and stroke order
Bitter; hardship; pain
How to write 苦, 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 苦
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- bitter
- hardship
- pain
- to suffer
- to bring suffering to
- painstakingly
How 苦 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Grass.
艹 gives the meaning and 古 hints at the sound.
Radical: 艹 (grass), shared by 421 characters on this site.
How to remember 苦
苦 is a plant 艹 (grass) on top of 古 (gǔ, old), which also hints at the sound kǔ. Picture an old, tough herb that tastes bitter, and bitterness easily stretches to mean hardship.
苦 describes a bitter taste, like coffee or medicine, and also a hard or painful life. It shows up in very common words such as 辛苦 (xīnkǔ) and 痛苦 (tòngkǔ). Example: 这杯咖啡太苦了。(Zhè bēi kāfēi tài kǔ le.) This coffee is too bitter.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 苦 (kǔ) with 若 (ruò), which looks similar but has 右 under the grass radical instead of 古. Also keep the third tone, since kù sounds like 酷 (cool) or 裤 (pants).
Common words with 苦
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 痛苦 | tòngkǔ | pain; suffering | HSK 3 |
| 辛苦 | xīnkǔ | exhausting; hard | HSK 5 |
| 艰苦 | jiānkǔ | difficult; hard | HSK 5 |
| 酸甜苦辣 | suān-tián-kǔ-là | (lit.) sour, sweet, bitter and spicy (idiom); (fig.) all kinds of flavors; the joys and so | HSK 5 |
| 受苦 | shòukǔ | to suffer hardship | HSK 7-9 |
| 苦难 | kǔnàn | suffering | HSK 7-9 |
| 苦恼 | kǔnǎo | vexed; distressed | HSK 7-9 |
| 挖苦 | wāku | to speak sarcastically; to make cutting remarks | HSK 7-9 |
| 何苦 | hékǔ | why bother?; is it worth the trouble? | HSK 7-9 |
| 苦力 | kǔlì | bitter work; hard toil | HSK 7-9 |
| 刻苦 | kèkǔ | hardworking; assiduous | HSK 7-9 |
| 吃苦 | chīkǔ | to bear hardships | HSK 7-9 |
| 愁眉苦脸 | chóuméi-kǔliǎn | to look anxious (idiom); to look miserable | HSK 7-9 |
| 诉苦 | sùkǔ | to grumble; to complain | HSK 7-9 |
苦 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Questions about 苦
How many strokes are in 苦?
苦 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 苦 mean?
苦 (kǔ) means bitter; hardship; pain. A common word with it is 痛苦 (tòngkǔ), meaning "pain; suffering".
How do you pronounce 苦?
苦 is pronounced kǔ, in the third tone (dipping).
What is the radical of 苦?
The radical of 苦 is 艹, which carries the idea of "grass". Dictionaries list 苦 under this radical.
Is 苦 on the HSK exam?
Yes. 苦 is part of the HSK 3 character list in the HSK 3.0 standard, and you are expected to write it by hand from HSK 3.
Why do people say 辛苦了 to each other?
辛苦了 (xīnkǔ le) means roughly "you have worked hard" or "thanks for your effort." People say it to coworkers, delivery workers, or anyone who has just done a tiring task.
Does 苦 also mean "hard to do" or "trying hard"?
Yes. As an adverb it can mean painstakingly, as in 苦练 (kǔliàn, to practice hard). It can also mean to suffer or cause suffering, as in 受苦 (shòukǔ, to suffer hardship).