痛苦

tòng kǔ

HSK 2.0 Level 5 HSK 3.0 Level 5 Adjective Very common

Save to list

Definitions

1. pain
2. suffering
3. painful

Stop forgetting what you study.
Build recall daily.

Try HanyuGuide's Chinese review system with multiple choice, typed recall, tone-aware practice, and reviews scheduled before memory fades.

Start Free Trial $9.99 / year

Lifetime for $19.99 Try the 30-second demo

Word relationships

Antonyms

1 item

• 舒服 shū fu 舒服 shū fu comfortable 身体或精神上轻松愉快: comfortable

Register variants

1 item

• 煎熬 jiān áo 煎熬 jiān áo to suffer 煎熬口语和书面都可使用，强调被折磨的感觉，较痛苦更口语化: to suffer

Related words

1 item

• 难过 nán guò 难过 nán guò to feel sad 痛苦侧重于持久的、内在的感受，难过更短暂、外在: to feel sad

Synonyms

1 item

• 苦难 kǔ nàn 苦难 kǔ nàn suffering 都指难受的体验，但苦难更强调深重的磨难: suffering

Usage notes

Collocations

Commonly used with 感到 or 觉得: 感到痛苦, 觉得很痛苦.

Common mistakes

Learners often confuse 痛苦 with 疼; 疼 is primarily physical pain, while 痛苦 can be physical or emotional suffering.

Example Sentences

2 shown

战争给人民带来了 痛苦 。

War brings suffering to the people.

他无法忍受这样的 痛苦 。

He cannot bear such pain.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 痛苦

• 万分痛苦 万分痛苦 wàn fēn tòng kǔ: excruciating

Child Words of 痛苦

• 痛 痛 tòng: ache
• 苦 苦 kǔ: bitter