苦

kǔ

adjective HSK 4 #2,947

Meanings

Zhège yào hěn kǔ.

This medicine is very bitter.

Tā chī le hěn duō kǔ.

He endured a lot of hardship.

Kǔ liàn le sān nián gāngqín.

Practiced piano painstakingly for three years.

usage

苦 is one of the five basic tastes in Chinese (酸甜苦辣咸). Common compounds: 痛苦 (painful), 辛苦 (hard work), 苦恼 (distressed), 吃苦 (endure hardship).

culture

吃苦耐劳 (chī kǔ nài láo, able to endure hardship) is a highly valued quality in Chinese culture. Parents often say 先苦后甜 (first bitter, then sweet).

苦 kǔ