ENESFRDE中文

Characters, words, pinyin or English

苛 kē severe

severe; harsh; exacting

How to remember 苛: 艹 grass + 可 may = severe. On the grass of this park only pigeons may walk, because the old guard is famously severe.

  • HSK 9
  • 8 strokes
  • Radical 艹

Component breakdown

苛 = 艹 grass + 可 may

  • 艹 grass
  • 可 may
    • 丁 nail
    • 口 mouth
The Gushi story

On the grass of this park only pigeons may walk, because the old guard is famously severe.

How it is used

  • Harsh, exacting, over-demanding - 苛刻 (kēkè) harsh/stringent (of terms or people), 苛求 (kēqiú) to demand too much, 严苛 (yánkē) severe.
  • Also oppressive: 苛捐杂税 (kējuān-záshuì) exorbitant taxes and levies. Contrast neutral 严格 (yángé) strict-but-fair; 苛 implies unreasonably harsh.

Words with 苛