严酷

嚴酷

yánkù

adjective #14,818

Meanings

1 harsh
2 severe
3 bitter
4 ruthless

Characters

cruel; harsh; cool (slang)

Examples

北方的冬天非常严酷。

Běifāng de dōngtiān fēicháng yánkù.

Winters in the north are extremely harsh.

他们面临着严酷的竞争环境。

Tāmen miànlín zhe yánkù de jìngzhēng huánjìng.

They face a ruthless competitive environment.

Tips

usage

严酷 describes conditions, environments, or treatment — not people directly. For harsh weather: 严酷的寒冬. For cruel competition: 严酷的竞争. To describe a cruel person, use 残酷 (cánkù) instead.

Stroke Order

严 yán

酷 kù