苦(kǔ)

HSK 38 strokes

bitter

Print a 苦 worksheet PDFPractice writing 苦

Stroke order animation

Character information

Pinyin
kǔ
Meaning
bitter; hardship; pain; to suffer; to bring suffering to; painstakingly
Strokes
8
HSK level
HSK 3
Traditional
Same

Origin & structure

Where 苦 comes from and how its parts fit together.

Phonetic-semantic compound⿱艹古

In this compound, the meaning comes from 艹 (grass); 古 supplies the sound.

One part carries the meaning, the other suggests the sound.

Made of

艹ǎo古gǔ

Parts are arranged top to bottom.

How to write 苦 step by step

8 strokes — each frame adds one stroke, shown in dark ink over the lighter ones.

  1. 1
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  8. 8

Words with 苦

Common words using 苦 — tap any character to open its stroke-order page.

hé何kǔ苦
HSK 7-9

why bother?; is it worth the trouble?

Open 何苦 page →
kè刻kǔ苦
HSK 7-9

hardworking

Open 刻苦 page →
shòu受kǔ苦
HSK 7-9

to suffer hardship

Open 受苦 page →
chī吃kǔ苦
HSK 7-9

to bear hardships

Open 吃苦 page →
bā八kǔ苦

the eight distresses - birth, age, sickness, death, parting with what we lo…

Open 八苦 page →
yuān冤kǔ苦

to treat (sb) unjustly; anguish caused by an injustice

Open 冤苦 page →
bù不shèng胜qí其kǔ苦

unable to bear the pain (idiom)

Open 不胜其苦 page →
bù不cí辞láo劳kǔ苦

to spare no effort

Open 不辞劳苦 page →

Related characters

More HSK 3 characters

专世丰丽义乡乱争

From 苦’s common words

何刻受吃八冤不胜

Ready to master 苦?

Trace 苦 stroke by stroke in the online practice tool, or turn it into a printable worksheet PDF with Tianzige practice grids, pinyin, and stroke-order breakdowns.

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