The kanji 苦 primarily represents the concept of "suffering," "bitterness," or "difficulty." It conveys feelings of pain, hardship, or adversity, both physical and emotional. It can also refer to things that are unpleasant in taste or experience. The character encapsulates the idea of enduring something challenging or undesirable.

・On-yomi (音読み): ク (ku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): くる苦しい (kurushi[ku]i - painful, difficult), くる苦しむ (kurushi[ku]mu - to suffer), にが苦い (niga[ku]i - bitter)

⚫︎ 苦苦しい Translation: Painful; difficult ⚫︎ 苦苦労 (kurou) Translation: Hardship; trouble; labor ⚫︎ 苦苦味 (nigami) Translation: Bitterness (taste)

The kanji 苦 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, keisei moji). The upper part 艹 (kusagire) is a radical representing "grass" or "plant." The lower part 古 (ko) is a phonetic component, representing the sound. The original meaning of the character likely related to the bitter taste of certain plants or herbs. Over time, the meaning expanded to encompass the broader concepts of suffering and difficulty. The inclusion of 古 suggests this kanji was created when 古 was the shape of an arrow or a weapon that pierced the heart, or body. The combination created the image of a painful weapon piercing the heart, or body.