苦涩 kǔsè▶ pahit

Stroke order

苦涩 is written in 18 strokes across 2 characters.

• 苦 — 8 strokes
• 涩 — 10 strokes

Senses

1. bitter and astringent
2. pained
3. agonized

Related words

• 吃苦Kesulitan; penderitaan
• 苦尽甘来Semua penderitaan ada pahalanya
• 刻苦Rajin; pekerja keras
• 痛苦Nyeri
• 艰苦keras; sulit
• 苦pahit

苦涩 is pronounced kǔsè and means “pahit”. This word appears in HSK 6, one level of the Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi — the proficiency exam most Chinese courses are built around. Passive recognition of 苦涩 arrives quickly and leaves quickly. Active recall is slower to build and far more durable, so LexiTrail keeps returning the word to you at widening intervals rather than on a timer.