---
title: "Jianku Meaning: 艰苦 (jiānkǔ) Means “arduous”"
description: "艰苦 (traditional 艱苦, jiānkǔ) means “arduous; difficult; hard”. Hear its tones, see what 艰 and 苦 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jianku"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 艰苦 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

艰苦 jiānkǔ

## arduous; difficult; hard

## Its characters

1. 艰 jiān difficult
2. 苦 kǔ hard

## In a sentence

那里的生活条件很艰苦。 Living conditions there are very hard.

[More about 艰苦](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E8%89%B0%E8%8B%A6)

## More words with 艰 or 苦

- [艰难 jiānnán](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jiannan)
- [刻苦 kèkǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/keku)
- [苦恼 kǔnǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kunao)
- [痛苦 tòngkǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/tongku)
- [辛苦 xīnkǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xinku)

## Keep 艰苦 for Review

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