Kanji

酷

酷

cruel, severe, atrocious, unjust

Kanji

Grade

Grade 8

Strokes

14 strokes

Radical

酉部

On'yomi (Chinese Reading)

コク

Kun'yomi (Japanese Reading)

ひどい

Nanori (Name Reading)

あつ

Common Readings

コク

Example sentences

酷い ひどい
昨日 の 雨 は 本当に 酷かった 。

Yesterday's rain was truly terrible.

残酷 ざんこく
彼 は 残酷な 仕打ち に も 耐え抜いた 。

He endured even cruel treatment.

打ち砕く うちくだく
彼 の 野望 は 、 残酷 な 現実 によって 打ち砕かれた 。

His ambition was shattered by cruel reality.

過酷 かこく
過酷 な 労働 条件 で 働く の は 大変 だ 。

Working under harsh labor conditions is difficult.

奴隷 どれい
古代 ローマ で は 多く の 奴隷 が 過酷な 労働 を 強いられていた 。

In ancient Rome, many slaves were forced into harsh labor.

冷酷 れいこく
彼 は 冷酷 な 人間 だ 。

He is a cold-hearted person.

憎い にくい
犯人 の 冷酷な 手口 が 憎い 。

I hate the culprit's cruel methods.

酷 こく
初心者 に対して その 批判 は 少し 酷 ではないか 。

Isn't that criticism a bit harsh for a beginner?

酷使 こくし
彼 は 連日 の 残業 で 体 を 酷使している 。

He is overworking his body with daily overtime.

酷似 こくじ
その 贋作 は 本物 に 酷似 していた 。

That forgery closely resembled the real thing.

Example Vocabulary

酷い

ひどい

terrible; awful; cruel; severe

残酷

ざんこく

cruel; ruthless; brutal

過酷

かこく

harsh; severe; cruel; rigorous

冷酷

れいこく

cold-hearted; ruthless; cruel

酷

こく

cruel; harsh; severe

酷使

こくし

overworking; abusing; taxing; using harshly

酷似

こくじ

close resemblance

酷い目に遭う

ひどいめにあう

酷薄

こくはく

酷すぎる

ひどすぎる

Sottaku

About Sottaku

Sottaku is an app for learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, English, Spanish, French, German, and Italian with a strong focus on SRS. It includes automatic flashcard creation for hundreds of thousands of words, grammar breakdowns in example sentences, language-specific study packs where available, adaptive quizzes, mobile apps, a browser extension, and community features. Give it a try now! All learning content is free with no limits on flashcards or study time.

Sottaku is built to match the habits of successful learners. By using Sottaku, you will naturally learn in the most efficient way possible, as proven by countless success stories in the language learning community.

Free Sign Up

Free Forever

Access all grammar guides, quizzes, and flashcards without paying a cent. Quality education should be accessible to everyone.

Smart SRS System

Our flashcard system uses the FSRS algorithm (also used in Anki) to optimize your review schedule and maximize retention.

Comprehensive Content

From hanzi, kana, hangul, and European vocabulary basics to grammar and reading practice where available, we have lessons for every level. Practice with quizzes tailored to your skill.

Community Chat

Ask level-appropriate questions and get help from the community. Learn together with fellow learners across all 8 supported languages.