苦涩
Old HSK 6
苦涩 (kǔsè) · bitter
苦涩 (kǔsè) means “bitter; pained; agonized”. It is written with 2 characters: 苦 (bitter) + 涩 (astringent). It is an old HSK 6 word (HSK 2.0).
How 苦涩 is built
The characters
苦 kǔ · bitter
What 苦 is made of
- 艹cǎo — grass
- 古gǔ — ancient
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 口kǒu — mouth
- 冂 — frame
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 十 — ten
Origin hint: 艹 gives the meaning, 古 gives the sound. (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
涩 sè · astringent
What 涩 is made of
- 氵shuǐ — water
- 刃rèn — edged tool
- 刀dāo — knife
- 丿 — falling stroke
- 丶 — dot
- 刀dāo — knife
- 止zhǐ — to stop
- 上shàng — above
- ⺊ — structural part
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
- 上shàng — above
Example sentences
这种茶有一点儿苦涩。Zhè zhǒng chá yǒu yìdiǎnr kǔsè.This tea is a bit bitter.
他脸上露出苦涩的笑容。Tā liǎn shàng lùchū kǔsè de xiàoróng.A bitter smile appeared on his face.
Questions about 苦涩
What does 苦涩 mean?
苦涩 (kǔsè) means “bitter; pained; agonized”.
How do you pronounce 苦涩?
苦涩 is pronounced kǔsè.
Which HSK level is 苦涩?
苦涩 is in Old HSK 6.
Related words
- 痛苦tòngkǔpain
- 辛苦xīnkǔhard
- 艰苦jiānkǔhard
- 刻苦kèkǔhardworking
- 吃苦chīkǔto endure hardship
- 苦尽甘来kǔjìngānláiafter hardship comes happiness
- 苦kǔbitter
Learn 苦涩 with its group
It is part of Old HSK 6 · Group 110: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.