苦 means “bitter”

にがい · nigai

Also: suffering, trial, worry, hardship

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

くるしい, くるしむ, くるしめる, にがい, にがる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ク

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 3 · 8 strokes

The story

Green tea and bitter gourd teach that not all flavors are pleasant, yet all have purpose.

Also means "hardship," expressing life's complexities

Its parts

• 艹 Grass/plant · Top
• 古 Old/ancient · Bottom

An old (古) plant (艹): bitter tasting

Kanji that look like 苦

• 古 (old): 苦 adds the grass radical 艹 on top: old grass tastes bitter

More from Food & Dining

• 飲 drink
• 茶 tea
• 麺 noodles
• 油 oil
• 酢 vinegar
• 酒 alcohol
• 辛 spicy
• 料 cooking
• 米 rice
• 食 eat
• 魚 fish
• 肉 meat

Learn 苦 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.