All words › HSK 4 · Food & drink
苦
Meaning
- bitter
- hardship
- pain
Example sentence
良药苦口。
Good medicine is bitter to the mouth.
The character 苦
苦 is 艹, grass, over 古: a bitter herb. Bitter in the mouth — 苦茶 — and bitter in life: 痛苦 suffering, 吃苦 to endure hardship, 辛苦 for hard work you thank somebody for.