苦 苦 ku3
bitter; hardship; pain; to suffer; to bring suffering to; painstakingly

strokes 8
radical
艸
艸
strokes after radical 5
矮脚苦蒿 矮腳苦蒿 ai3 jiao3 ku3 hao1
see 熊膽草|熊胆草

爱别离苦 愛別離苦 ai4 bie2 li2 ku3
(Buddhism) the pain of parting with what (or whom) one loves, one of the eight distresses 八苦

八苦 八苦 ba1 ku3
the eight distresses - birth, age, sickness, death, parting with what we love, meeting with what we hate, unattained aims, and all the ills of the five skandhas (Buddhism)

白胸苦恶鸟 白胸苦惡鳥 bai2 xiong1 ku3 e4 niao3
(bird species of China) white-breasted waterhen (Amaurornis phoenicurus)

悲苦 悲苦 bei1 ku3
forlorn; miserable

备尝辛苦 備嘗辛苦 bei4 chang2 xin1 ku3
to have suffered all kinds of hardships (idiom)

秘鲁苦蘵 秘魯苦蘵 bi4 lu3 ku3 zhi2
Peruvian ground-cherry; cape gooseberry; Physalis peruviana

变苦 變苦 bian4 ku3
to sour; to turn sour; to curdle

病苦 病苦 bing4 ku3
pains (of illness); sufferings (esp. in Buddhism)

不辞劳苦 不辭勞苦 bu4 ci2 lao2 ku3
to spare no effort

不辞辛苦 不辭辛苦 bu4 ci2 xin1 ku3
to make nothing of hardships

不胜其苦 不勝其苦 bu4 sheng4 qi2 ku3
unable to bear the pain (idiom)

吃得苦中苦，方为人上人 吃得苦中苦，方為人上人 chi1 de2 ku3 zhong1 ku3 - fang1 wei2 ren2 shang4 ren2
one cannot achieve glory and wealth without having been through trials and tribulations (proverb); no pain, no gain

吃苦 吃苦 chi1 ku3
to bear hardships

吃苦耐劳 吃苦耐勞 chi1 ku3 nai4 lao2
hardworking and enduring hardships (idiom)

吃苦头 吃苦頭 chi1 ku3 tou5
to suffer; to suffer for one's actions; to pay dearly; to burn one's fingers

愁苦 愁苦 chou2 ku3
anxiety; distress

愁眉苦脸 愁眉苦臉 chou2 mei2 ku3 lian3
to look anxious (idiom); to look miserable

倒苦水 倒苦水 dao4 ku3 shui3
to pour out one's grievances

倒悬之苦 倒懸之苦 dao4 xuan2 zhi1 ku3
lit. the pain of being hanged upside down (idiom); fig. extremely critical situation; dire straits

蹲苦窑 蹲苦窯 dun1 ku3 yao2
(slang) to be behind bars

二遍苦 二遍苦 er4 bian4 ku3
second persecution

访贫问苦 訪貧問苦 fang3 pin2 wen4 ku3
to visit the poor and ask about their suffering (idiom)

甘苦 甘苦 gan1 ku3
good times and hardships; joys and tribulations; for better or for worse

孤苦伶仃 孤苦伶仃 gu1 ku3 ling2 ding1
solitary and impoverished (idiom)

孤苦零丁 孤苦零丁 gu1 ku3 ling2 ding1
variant of 孤苦伶仃

含辛茹苦 含辛茹苦 han2 xin1 ru2 ku3
to suffer every possible torment (idiom); bitter hardship; to bear one's cross

何苦 何苦 he2 ku3
why bother?; is it worth the trouble?

何苦呢 何苦呢 he2 ku3 ne5
why bother?; is it worth the trouble?

红脚苦恶鸟 紅腳苦惡鳥 hong2 jiao3 ku3 e4 niao3
(bird species of China) brown crake (Amaurornis akool)

皇天不负苦心人 皇天不負苦心人 huang2 tian1 bu4 fu4 ku3 xin1 ren2
Heaven will not disappoint the person who tries (idiom). If you try hard, you're bound to succeed eventually.

疾苦 疾苦 ji2 ku3
pain and difficulties; suffering (of the people)

艰苦 艱苦 jian1 ku3
difficult; hard; arduous

艰苦奋斗 艱苦奮鬥 jian1 ku3 fen4 dou4
to struggle arduously

艰苦朴素 艱苦樸素 jian1 ku3 pu3 su4
leading a plain, hardworking life (idiom)

坚苦卓绝 堅苦卓絕 jian1 ku3 zhuo2 jue2
persisting despite trials and tribulations (idiom); conspicuous determination

叫苦 叫苦 jiao4 ku3
to whine about hardships; to complain of one's bitter lot; to complain; to grumble

叫苦不迭 叫苦不迭 jiao4 ku3 bu5 die2
to complain without stopping (idiom); to bitch endlessly; incessant grievances

叫苦连天 叫苦連天 jiao4 ku3 lian2 tian1
to whine on for days (idiom); to endlessly grumble complaints; incessant whining

刻苦 刻苦 ke4 ku3
hardworking; assiduous

刻苦耐劳 刻苦耐勞 ke4 ku3 nai4 lao2
to bear hardships and work hard (idiom); assiduous and long-suffering; hard-working and capable of overcoming adversity

刻苦努力 刻苦努力 ke4 ku3 nu3 li4
assiduous; taking great pains

刻苦学习 刻苦學習 ke4 ku3 xue2 xi2
to study hard; assiduous

刻苦钻研 刻苦鑽研 ke4 ku3 zuan1 yan2
to study diligently

苦艾 苦艾 ku3 ai4
wormwood; Artemisia absinthium

苦艾酒 苦艾酒 ku3 ai4 jiu3
absinthe (distilled anise-based liquor)

苦熬 苦熬 ku3 ao2
to endure (years of suffering)

苦不唧 苦不唧 ku3 bu5 ji1
slightly bitter

苦不唧儿 苦不唧兒 ku3 bu5 ji1 er5
erhua variant of 苦不唧

苦菜花 苦菜花 ku3 cai4 hua1
Bitter Cauliflower, 1954 socialist realist novel by Feng Deying 馮德英|冯德英 loosely based on Maxim Gorky's Mother, made into a 1967 film by Li Ang

苦差 苦差 ku3 chai1
hard task; difficult mission; arduous and unrewarding undertaking; drudgery; grind; chore

苦差事 苦差事 ku3 chai1 shi5
see 苦差

苦楚 苦楚 ku3 chu3
suffering; misery; pain (esp. psychological)

苦处 苦處 ku3 chu5
suffering; distress

苦大仇深 苦大仇深 ku3 da4 chou2 shen1
great bitterness, deep hatred (idiom); deeply ingrained long-standing resentment

苦待 苦待 ku3 dai4
treat harshly

苦胆 苦膽 ku3 dan3
gall bladder

苦迭打 苦迭打 ku3 die2 da3
coup d'état (loanword)

苦甘 苦甘 ku3 gan1
bitter sweet

苦干 苦幹 ku3 gan4
to work hard

苦根 苦根 ku3 gen1
underlying cause of poverty

苦功 苦功 ku3 gong1
hard work; laborious effort; painstaking work

苦工 苦工 ku3 gong1
hard labor (in penal code); coolie

苦瓜 苦瓜 ku3 gua1
bitter melon (bitter gourd, balsam pear, balsam apple, leprosy gourd, bitter cucumber)

苦瓜脸 苦瓜臉 ku3 gua1 lian3
sour expression on one's face

苦果 苦果 ku3 guo3
lit. bitter fruit; fig. painful consequence

苦哈哈 苦哈哈 ku3 ha1 ha1
to have difficulty getting by; to struggle (financially etc)

苦海 苦海 ku3 hai3
lit. sea of bitterness; abyss of worldly suffering (Buddhist term); depths of misery

苦海茫茫 苦海茫茫 ku3 hai3 mang2 mang2
sea of bitterness is vast (idiom)

苦海无边，回头是岸 苦海無邊，回頭是岸 ku3 hai3 wu2 bian1 - hui2 tou2 shi4 an4
The sea of bitterness has no bounds, turn your head to see the shore (idiom). Only Buddhist enlightenment can allow one to shed off the abyss of worldly suffering.; Repent and ye shall be saved!

苦寒 苦寒 ku3 han2
bitter cold

苦活 苦活 ku3 huo2
bitter work; sweated labor

苦活儿 苦活兒 ku3 huo2 er5
erhua variant of 苦活

苦集灭道 苦集滅道 ku3 ji2 mie4 dao4
the Four Noble Truths (Budd.), namely: all life is suffering 苦, the cause of suffering is desire 集, emancipation comes only by eliminating passions 滅|灭, the way 道 to emancipation is the Eight-fold Noble Way 八正道; also called 四諦|四谛

苦谏 苦諫 ku3 jian4
to admonish strenuously

苦尽甘来 苦盡甘來 ku3 jin4 gan1 lai2
bitterness finishes, sweetness begins (idiom); the hard times are over, the good times just beginning

苦境 苦境 ku3 jing4
grievance; dire straits

苦菊 苦菊 ku3 ju2
endive

苦苣 苦苣 ku3 ju4
endive

苦口 苦口 ku3 kou3
lit. bitter taste (cf good medicine tastes bitter 良藥苦口|良药苦口); fig. earnestly (of warning, advice)

苦口婆心 苦口婆心 ku3 kou3 po2 xin1
earnest and well-meaning advice (idiom); to persuade patiently

苦苦 苦苦 ku3 ku3
strenuously; persistently; hard; painful

苦苦哀求 苦苦哀求 ku3 ku3 ai1 qiu2
to entreat piteously; to implore

苦况 苦況 ku3 kuang4
wretched state; miserable plight

苦劳 苦勞 ku3 lao2
toil; hard work

苦力 苦力 ku3 li4
bitter work; hard toil; (loanword) coolie, unskilled Chinese laborer in colonial times

苦楝 苦楝 ku3 lian4
chinaberry (Melia azedarach)

苦练 苦練 ku3 lian4
to train hard; to practice diligently; hard work; blood, sweat, and tears

苦苓 苦苓 ku3 ling2
chinaberry (Melia azedarach)

苦荬菜 苦蕒菜 ku3 mai3 cai4
Ixeris denticulata

苦闷 苦悶 ku3 men4
depressed; dejected; feeling low

苦命 苦命 ku3 ming4
hard lot; bitter fate; unfortunate

苦难 苦難 ku3 nan4
suffering

苦难深重 苦難深重 ku3 nan4 shen1 zhong4
deep grief; extensive sorrow

苦恼 苦惱 ku3 nao3
vexed; distressed

苦情 苦情 ku3 qing2
wretched situation; plight; wretched; miserable

苦趣 苦趣 ku3 qu4
wretched feelings (opposite: 樂趣|乐趣, delight)

苦日子 苦日子 ku3 ri4 zi5
hard times

苦肉计 苦肉計 ku3 rou4 ji4
the trick of injuring oneself to gain the enemy's confidence

苦涩 苦澀 ku3 se4
bitter and astringent; pained; agonized

苦参 苦參 ku3 shen1
liquorice (Sophora flavescens), with roots used in TCM

苦事 苦事 ku3 shi4
hard job; arduous task

苦水 苦水 ku3 shui3
bitter water (e.g. mineral water containing sulfates); suffering; digestive fluids rising from stomach to the mouth; fig. bitter complaint

苦思 苦思 ku3 si1
to think hard; bitter thoughts; to pour out one's sufferings

苦思冥想 苦思冥想 ku3 si1 ming2 xiang3
to consider from all angles (idiom); to think hard; to rack one's brains

苦痛 苦痛 ku3 tong4
pain; suffering

苦头 苦頭 ku3 tou5
sufferings

苦味 苦味 ku3 wei4
bitter taste; bitterness

苦笑 苦笑 ku3 xiao4
to force a smile; a bitter laugh

苦心 苦心 ku3 xin1
painstaking effort; to take a lot of trouble; laborious at pains

苦心孤诣 苦心孤詣 ku3 xin1 gu1 yi4
to make painstaking efforts (idiom); after much trouble; to work hard at sth

苦心经营 苦心經營 ku3 xin1 jing1 ying2
to build up an enterprise through painstaking efforts

苦行 苦行 ku3 xing2
ascetic practice

苦刑 苦刑 ku3 xing2
torture; corporal punishment (traditionally involving mutilation or amputation)

苦行赎罪 苦行贖罪 ku3 xing2 shu2 zui4
penance (to atone for a sin)

苦杏仁苷 苦杏仁苷 ku3 xing4 ren2 gan1
amygdalin

苦窑 苦窯 ku3 yao2
(slang) prison

苦役 苦役 ku3 yi4
forced labor; corvée; penal servitude

苦因 苦因 ku3 yin1
affliction

苦战 苦戰 ku3 zhan4
bitter struggle; hard battle; arduous effort

苦蘵 苦蘵 ku3 zhi2
cutleaf ground-cherry; Physalis angulata

苦衷 苦衷 ku3 zhong1
secret trouble; sorrow; difficulties

苦中作乐 苦中作樂 ku3 zhong1 zuo4 le4
to find joy in sorrows (idiom); to enjoy sth in spite of one's suffering

苦竹 苦竹 ku3 zhu2
bitter bamboo (Pleioblastus amarus)

苦主 苦主 ku3 zhu3
victim's family (esp. in murder case)

困苦 困苦 kun4 ku3
deprivation; distressed; miserable

劳苦 勞苦 lao2 ku3
to toil; hard work

劳心苦思 勞心苦思 lao2 xin1 ku3 si1
to rack one's brains; to think hard

离苦得乐 離苦得樂 li2 ku3 de2 le4
to abandon suffering and obtain happiness (Buddhism)

良工心苦 良工心苦 liang2 gong1 xin1 ku3
expert craft from hard practice (idiom); hard-won skill; A masterpiece demands suffering.

良苦用心 良苦用心 liang2 ku3 yong4 xin1
to ponder earnestly; to give a lot of thought to sth

良药苦口 良藥苦口 liang2 yao4 ku3 kou3
good medicine tastes bitter (idiom); fig. frank criticism is hard to swallow

氯化苦 氯化苦 lv4 hua4 ku3
chloropicrin

埋头苦干 埋頭苦幹 mai2 tou2 ku3 gan4
to bury oneself in work (idiom); to be engrossed in work; to make an all-out effort; up to the neck in work

卖苦力 賣苦力 mai4 ku3 li4
to make a hard living as unskilled laborer

冥思苦索 冥思苦索 ming2 si1 ku3 suo3
to mull over (idiom); to think long and hard

冥思苦想 冥思苦想 ming2 si1 ku3 xiang3
to consider from all angles (idiom); to think hard; to rack one's brains

命苦 命苦 ming4 ku3
to be born under an ill star

皮肉之苦 皮肉之苦 pi2 rou4 zhi1 ku3
physical pain; lit. skin and flesh suffer

贫苦 貧苦 pin2 ku3
poverty-stricken; poor

凄风苦雨 淒風苦雨 qi1 feng1 ku3 yu3
lit. bleak wind and icy rain (idiom); fig. hardships; miserable circumstances

凄苦 悽苦 qi1 ku3
bleak; miserable

千辛万苦 千辛萬苦 qian1 xin1 wan4 ku3
to suffer untold hardships (idiom); trials and tribulations; with difficulty; after some effort

勤奋刻苦 勤奮刻苦 qin2 fen4 ke4 ku3
diligent; assiduous

勤苦 勤苦 qin2 ku3
hardworking; assiduous

勤学苦练 勤學苦練 qin2 xue2 ku3 lian4
to study diligently; to train assiduously

清苦 清苦 qing1 ku3
destitute but honest; poor and simple; spartan; austere

穷苦 窮苦 qiong2 ku3
impoverished; destitute

茹苦含辛 茹苦含辛 ru2 ku3 han2 xin1
bitter hardship; to bear one's cross

煞费苦心 煞費苦心 sha4 fei4 ku3 xin1
to take a lot of trouble (idiom); painstaking; at the cost of a lot of effort

受苦 受苦 shou4 ku3
to suffer hardship

诉苦 訴苦 su4 ku3
to grumble; to complain; grievance

酸甜苦辣 酸甜苦辣 suan1 tian2 ku3 la4
sour, sweet, bitter and spicy hot; fig. the joys and sorrows of life

同甘共苦 同甘共苦 tong2 gan1 gong4 ku3
shared delights and common hardships (idiom); to share life's joys and sorrows; for better or for worse

同甘苦 同甘苦 tong2 gan1 ku3
to share joys and sorrows; sharing good times and hard times; same as 同甘共苦

痛苦 痛苦 tong4 ku3
pain; suffering; painful

吐苦水 吐苦水 tu3 ku3 shui3
to have bitter digestive fluids rising to the mouth; fig. to complain bitterly; to pour out one's sufferings

脱离苦海 脫離苦海 tuo1 li2 ku3 hai3
to escape from the abyss of suffering; to shed off a wretched plight

挖苦 挖苦 wa1 ku3
to speak sarcastically; to make cutting remarks

万分痛苦 萬分痛苦 wan4 fen1 tong4 ku3
excruciating

小洞不补大洞吃苦 小洞不補大洞吃苦 xiao3 dong4 bu4 bu3 da4 dong4 chi1 ku3
A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); a stitch in time saves nine

小洞不堵，大洞吃苦 小洞不堵，大洞吃苦 xiao3 dong4 bu4 du3 - da4 dong4 chi1 ku3
A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); A stitch in time saves nine.

小洞不堵，大洞受苦 小洞不堵，大洞受苦 xiao3 dong4 bu4 du3 - da4 dong4 shou4 ku3
A small hole not plugged will make you suffer a big hole (idiom); A stitch in time saves nine.

辛苦 辛苦 xin1 ku3
exhausting; hard; tough; arduous; to work hard; to go to a lot of trouble; hardship(s)

辛辛苦苦 辛辛苦苦 xin1 xin1 ku3 ku3
painstakingly; with great trouble

学习刻苦 學習刻苦 xue2 xi2 ke4 ku3
to study hard; assiduous

哑巴吃黄连，有苦说不出 啞巴吃黃連，有苦說不出 ya3 ba5 chi1 huang2 lian2 - you3 ku3 shuo1 bu5 chu1
to be forced to suffer in silence (idiom); unable to speak of one's bitter suffering; sometimes written 啞子吃黃連，有苦說不出|哑子吃黄连，有苦说不出

忆苦饭 憶苦飯 yi4 ku3 fan4
unsavory meal taken in remembrance of past hardships; fig. poor-tasting meal

忆苦思甜 憶苦思甜 yi4 ku3 si1 tian2
to view one's past as miserable and one's present as happy (idiom)

用心良苦 用心良苦 yong4 xin1 liang2 ku3
to ponder earnestly; to give a lot of thought to sth

忧苦以终 憂苦以終 you1 ku3 yi3 zhong1
worried to death (idiom)

有苦说不出 有苦說不出 you3 ku3 shuo1 bu5 chu1
having unspeakable bitter suffering; (often used after 啞巴吃黃連|哑巴吃黄连)

浴血苦战 浴血苦戰 yu4 xue4 ku3 zhan4
a blood soaked and hard-fought struggle (idiom)

冤苦 冤苦 yuan1 ku3
suffering from injustice

装穷叫苦 裝窮叫苦 zhuang1 qiong2 jiao4 ku3
to feign and complain bitterly of being poverty stricken (idiom)

自食苦果 自食苦果 zi4 shi2 ku3 guo3
see 自食惡果|自食恶果

自讨苦吃 自討苦吃 zi4 tao3 ku3 chi1
to ask for trouble (idiom); to make a rod for one's own back

自找苦吃 自找苦吃 zi4 zhao3 ku3 chi1
to bring trouble on oneself

嘴甜心苦 嘴甜心苦 zui3 tian2 xin1 ku3
sweet mouth, bitter heart (idiom); insincere flattery