Dictionary🇨🇳 Chinese → 🇺🇸 English
苦
kǔ
Description
"苦"最常见的意思是味道很苦，像咖啡或中药那样。
The most common meaning of "苦" is a bitter taste, like coffee or traditional Chinese medicine.
它也可以说人的生活很难、很累，比如"生活很苦"。
It can also describe a person's life as hard and tiring, for example, "生活很苦" (life is bitter).
Meanings
苦kǔ
bitter (taste)
这个药很苦。
This medicine is very bitter.
苦kǔ
hard, painful, difficult (life or feelings)
以前他的生活很苦。
His life used to be very hard.
苦kǔ
to suffer; painstakingly, hard
他苦学了三年中文。
He studied Chinese diligently for three years.
Related words
Notes
- Nuance
苦 covers both physical bitter taste and emotional/life hardship, unlike English which separates them.
- Etymology
originally a plant name; the 艹 (grass) radical marks its plant origin.
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