辛苦
HSK 4 (exam 2025)Old HSK 4
辛苦 (xīnkǔ) · hard
辛苦 (xīnkǔ) means “hard; tiring; to work hard”. It is written with 2 characters: 辛 (bitter) + 苦 (bitter). It is an HSK 4 word in the current exam syllabus (2025).
How 辛苦 is built
The characters
辛 xīn · bitter
What 辛 is made of
- 立lì — to stand
- 亠tóu — lid
- 丶 — dot
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丷ha — kwukyel
- 丶 — dot
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 亠tóu — lid
- 十 — ten
- 一 — horizontal stroke
- 丨 — vertical stroke
Origin hint: A hot iron used to brand prisoners and slaves (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
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)
Example sentences
大家今天辛苦了！Dàjiā jīntiān xīnkǔ le!Thanks for your hard work today, everyone!
这份工作辛苦吗？Zhè fèn gōngzuò xīnkǔ ma?Is this job hard?
Questions about 辛苦
What does 辛苦 mean?
辛苦 (xīnkǔ) means “hard; tiring; to work hard”.
How do you pronounce 辛苦?
辛苦 is pronounced xīnkǔ.
Which HSK level is 辛苦?
辛苦 is in HSK 4 (exam 2025) and Old HSK 4.
Related words
- 辛勤xīnqínhardworking
- 痛苦tòngkǔpain
- 艰苦jiānkǔhard
- 刻苦kèkǔhardworking
- 吃苦chīkǔto endure hardship
- 苦尽甘来kǔjìngānláiafter hardship comes happiness
- 苦涩kǔsèbitter
- 苦kǔbitter
Learn 辛苦 with its group
It is part of Old HSK 4 · Group 48: a short group with quick checks and spaced repeats.