← Back

酷

cruel
Stroke count: 14

Readings

On readingコク
Kun readingひど.い
JōyōGrade 8KANJIDIC

Meanings

  1. cruelRtK
    彼は子供に残酷だ。He is a brute to his children.tatoeba
    彼は酷い風邪をひいた。He caught a terrible cold.tatoeba
  2. severe
  3. atrocious
  4. unjust
  1. harsh
  2. stringent
  3. rigorous
  4. strict

Homonyms

ⓘ
Same reading (こく)
石 · koku刻 · period of time (usu. a period of approx. two hour…

Radicals and components

Radical酉wine
Components
How it's built
酷
  • →
    • →
    • →
  • →
    • →
    • →

Mnemonic (RtK)

ⓘ

whiskey bottle · revelation · cow (牛) · mouth (口)

From "Remembering the Kanji" by James Heisig · Frame 1539

Compound words

残酷ざんこく
cruel; brutal; ruthless; merciless; inhuman
酷使こくし
exploitation; overuse; abuse
酷似こくじ
resembling closely; being strikingly similar; bearing a strong likeness
酷暑こくしょ
intense heat; severe heat
酷評こくひょう
severe criticism; sharp criticism; scathing criticism; diatribe; panning
冷酷れいこく
cruelty; coldheartedness; relentless; ruthless
過酷かこく
severe; harsh; hard; cruel; rigorous
酷いひどい
cruel; heartless; hard; harsh; severe
酷くひどく
terribly; awfully; dreadfully; extremely; severely
厳酷げんこく
severity
酷寒こっかん
severe cold
酷刑こっけい
severe punishment
酷税こくぜい
heavy taxation
酷道こくどう
(national) road in poor condition
酷烈こくれつ
severity
酷しいきびしい
severe
冷酷無慙れいこくむざん
cruel and heartless
冷酷無慚れいこくむざん
cruel and heartless

Additional Examples

彼はそのような残酷なことはできないと私が考えた人だ。
He is a man who I supposed was incapable of such cruelty.tatoeba
彼の冷酷な言葉が今でも私の心の中でうずいている。
His bitter words still rankle in my mind.tatoeba

Stroke Order

14 strokes

Practice Writing

Practice Writing 酷

Draw with a guide, then from memory — checked at every step