The New Dictionary.
Search dictionary
Chinese/Dictionary entry

苦瓜

kǔ guādictionary entry
DEFINITION CC-CEDICT
bitter melon (bitter gourd, balsam pear, balsam apple, leprosy gourd, bitter cucumber)
Sources & editorial notes

Reference definitions: CC-CEDICT contributors and MDBG, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source release 2026-10-27T01:55:52Z. Imported 2026-10-27. Definition wording and meaning order are retained. Recognized pronunciation references are displayed with tone marks; the original source record is available below.

Source record: cd-655e3b1048aaccd2. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

苦瓜 苦瓜 [ku3 gua1] /bitter melon (bitter gourd, balsam pear, balsam apple, leprosy gourd, bitter cucumber)/

Reference definitions and teaching material have separate provenance.

Reference information

The definitions above are from CC-CEDICT. Examples and usage notes are available on selected entries.

Character information

View the individual characters. Their meanings do not necessarily explain the meaning of the whole word.

  • 苦
    kǔ

    bitter / hardship / pain / to suffer / to bring suffering to / painstakingly

  • 瓜
    guā

    melon; gourd; squash / (slang) a piece of gossip

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.