苦 甘

kǔ gāndictionary entry

bitter sweet

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-9032a1386c02078b. Source SHA-256: bbc4b27f26bee1a262f4d7939667a040c7857c7fc0200a2fa7a86d3352a09eae.

Original source entry:

苦甘苦甘 [ku3 gan1] /bitter sweet/

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
甘
gān
(bound form) sweet / pleasant (contrasted with 苦[kǔ]: bitter, unpleasant) / to be willing (to do sth)
Gān
surname Gan / short name for Gansu 甘肅|甘肃[Gān sù]

Reference definitions from CC-CEDICT.