苦 kǔ
“bitter; hardship; pain”
adjective, adjective / noun, adverbial adjective, verbHSK 4 · 2021 list level 4
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
苦 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 1441: 苦 kǔ — Level 4; official annotation 4 (形). PDF page 116
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 苦
苦 most often means "bitter" when talking about taste, and it can also describe life or work as hard and painful. It is an adjective: use it after 很/太/有点, or before 的 + noun. The related noun 苦味 means "a bitter taste."
例句Example sentences
- 这个药很苦，孩子不想吃。zhè ge yào hěn kǔ, hái zi bù xiǎng chī.This medicine is very bitter; the child doesn't want to take it.
- 我不喜欢苦的咖啡。wǒ bù xǐ huan kǔ de kā fēi.I don't like bitter coffee.
- 他小时候生活很苦。tā xiǎo shí hou shēng huó hěn kǔ.His life was very hard when he was a child.