Kanji N3

苦: suffering, trial, worry

苦 is a JLPT N3 kanji meaning suffering, trial, worry, written with 8 strokes. It is read ク (on) and くるしい, くるしむ, くるしめる (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 3. You will see it in 苦労 (くろう, trouble) and 苦手 (にがて, poor).

苦

Meanings

  • suffering
  • trial
  • worry
  • hardship
  • feel bitter
  • scowl
Strokes8
JLPT levelN3
School gradeGrade 3
Frequency#623 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • ク

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • くるしい
  • -ぐるしい
  • くるしむ
  • くるしめる
  • にがい
  • にがる

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

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Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

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Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 8. Start at the dot.

Common words with 苦

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 苦労くろう

    trouble; hardship; difficulty; labour; labor

    JLPT N3
  • 苦手にがて

    poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at)

    JLPT N3
  • 苦いにがい

    bitter (taste)

    JLPT N4
  • 苦痛くつう

    pain; agony; suffering; distress; torment

    JLPT N3
  • 苦しいくるしい

    painful; difficult; tough; hard

    JLPT N3
  • 苦しむくるしむ

    to suffer; to groan; to be worried

    JLPT N3
  • 苦情くじょう

    complaint; troubles; objection; grievance

    JLPT N2
  • 苦しめるくるしめる

    to torment; to pain; to inflict (physical) pain

    JLPT N1

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0; the Spanish meanings they lack, translated by Naraio from their English, are shared under the same licence. Example sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY. Sentences split into words with IPADIC © NAIST and IPA, through Lindera.