苦 Stroke Order — How to Write 苦
苦 is written in 9 strokes, following the standard Chinese stroke order. Start from the radical 艹, then complete the remaining strokes.
Stroke order matters in Chinese: it keeps the character balanced, and it is how dictionaries and handwriting input methods expect a character to be written.
苦 Radical and Character Components
苦 is a phono-semantic compound: 艹 (grass) carries the meaning, while 古 indicates the sound.
Radical: 艹 + 5 more strokes
苦 Pronunciation and Pinyin
- kǔ
Meanings of 苦 in Chinese
1
kǔ苦
Bitter; having a taste similar to bile or bitter gourd, opposite of sweet.
他不喜欢吃苦瓜，因为觉得味道太苦了。
He doesn't like to eat bitter gourd because he finds its taste too bitter.
Feeling difficult, unpleasant, or distressed; experiencing hardship or suffering.
他们从小就学会了吃苦耐劳的精神。
They learned the spirit of enduring hardship and hard work from a young age.
To be troubled or afflicted by something, such as adverse weather, conditions, or a situation.
他苦于长期失眠，精神状态很差。
He has been troubled by long-term insomnia, and his mental state is very poor.
With patience and great effort; diligently; assiduously.
他刻苦学习，终于考上了理想的大学。
He studied diligently and finally got into his dream university.
To cause someone to suffer or endure hardship; to make someone suffer.
这次出差可苦了我了！
This business trip really put me through a lot!
Common Words and Phrases with 苦
1
Wormwood, a plant whose dried leaves and flower heads were historically used as a bitter tonic.
这种饮料里含有少量的苦艾，所以味道略带苦涩。
This drink contains a small amount of wormwood, so the taste is slightly bitter.
2
To endure hardship and suffering patiently, often over a long period.
她苦熬了多年，终于在异乡站稳了脚跟。
She endured years of hardship and finally found her footing in a foreign land.
3
Sophora flavescens, a herb whose bitter roots are used in traditional medicine.
中医认为苦参有清热燥湿、杀虫止痒的功效，常用于治疗皮肤病。
Traditional Chinese medicine believes that Sophora flavescens (Kushen) has the effects of clearing heat and drying dampness, killing parasites, and relieving itching, and is often used to treat skin diseases.
4
a hard and unprofitable job
整理这些旧文件可真是个苦差事，既耗时又乏味。
Organizing these old documents is truly a thankless chore, both time-consuming and tedious.
5
A thankless, unpleasant, or laborious task; drudgery.
洗碗对我来说真是个苦差事，我更喜欢做饭。
Washing dishes is a real chore for me; I prefer cooking.
6
pain and suffering; distress; misery
他童年经历的苦楚让他更加坚韧。
The hardships he experienced in childhood made him more resilient.
7
pain or suffering
只有亲身经历过，才能真正体会到其中的苦处。
Only by experiencing it firsthand can one truly understand the hardships involved.
8
suffered bitterly in the old society and have a deep class hatred
那个老人因为年轻时遭遇了许多不幸，所以看起来总是苦大仇深，对生活充满了抱怨。
That old man, having suffered many misfortunes in his youth, always seemed to harbor deep resentment, full of complaints about life.
9
10
A type of bitter-tasting grass or plant.
田埂上长满了苦杕，农民们忙着清理杂草。
The field ridges were overgrown with bitter herbs, and farmers were busy clearing the weeds.
11
Coup d'état
公司内部的权力斗争最终演变成一场无声的“苦迭打”，领导层一夜之间被彻底更换。
The internal power struggle within the company eventually morphed into a silent “coup d'état,” leading to an overnight change in leadership.
12
work hard; do a tough job; work assiduously
为了完成这个项目，团队成员们日夜苦干
To complete this project, the team members toiled day and night.
13
root cause of poverty or suffering
不解决根本问题，这家庭的苦根就难以拔除。
If the fundamental problems are not resolved, it will be difficult to uproot the bitter root of this family's hardship.
14
arduous physical labor, or a person who performs it
他在工地从事着繁重的苦工，只为养家糊口。
He performs arduous manual labor at the construction site, solely to make a living for his family.
15
painstaking efforts
要想在学业上取得好成绩，就必须下苦功。
To achieve good grades in studies, one must put in painstaking effort.
More words with 苦
- kè刻kǔ苦Diligent, Hardworking
- kùn困kǔ苦Hardship, privation, and distress.
- jí疾kǔ苦Suffering, hardship
- jiān艰kǔ苦Difficult and arduous.
- bēi悲kǔ苦sad and painful
- chóu愁kǔ苦Anxiety and distress.
- gān甘kǔ苦Joys and sorrows, sweetness and bitterness
- pín贫kǔ苦poverty, destitution
- sù诉kǔ苦complain, gripe
- suān酸kǔ苦bitter and painful; poignant
- wā挖kǔ苦Sarcasm, To ridicule
- xīn辛kǔ苦Hard work
- hé何kǔ苦Why bother?, Why suffer?
- huàn患kǔ苦to loathe; to hate
- jiào叫kǔ苦complain, grumble
- jiǒng窘kǔ苦distress, hardship
- qī凄kǔ苦miserable and bleak
- yōu忧kǔ苦Sorrow, Distress
- yuān冤kǔ苦Grievance, Injustice and suffering
- hán寒kǔ苦hardship and poverty, misery
Idioms with 苦
- kǔ苦bù不kān堪yán言too miserable to describe
- kǔ苦bù不kě可yán言too bitter to tell
- kǔ苦hǎi海máng茫máng茫boundless sea of suffering
- kǔ苦hǎi海wú无biān边boundless sea of suffering
- kǔ苦jìn尽gān甘lái来sweetness comes after bitterness
- kǔ苦jìn尽tián甜lái来After suffering comes happiness
- kǔ苦kǒu口nì逆ěr耳sincere advice that is unpleasant to hear
- kǔ苦kǒu口pó婆xīn心to advise earnestly and patiently
- kǔ苦lè乐bù不jūn均unequal distribution of joys and sorrows
- kǔ苦nàn难shēn深zhòng重steeped in profound suffering
- kǔ苦sī思míng冥xiǎng想ponder deeply and intently
- kǔ苦xīn心gū孤yì诣painstaking unique efforts
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Open the tool →Questions about 苦
What does 苦 mean in Chinese?
苦 (kǔ) means “Bitter” in Chinese.
How do you pronounce 苦?
苦 is pronounced kǔ in Mandarin Chinese.
How many strokes does 苦 have?
苦 has 9 strokes.
How do you write 苦?
苦 is written in 9 strokes, starting from the radical 艹. See the animated stroke order on this page.
What is the radical of 苦?
The radical of 苦 is 艹, and 苦 is a phono-semantic compound.
