---
title: "Keku Meaning: 刻苦 (kèkǔ) Means “hardworking”"
description: "刻苦 (kèkǔ) means “hardworking; assiduous”. Hear its tones, see what 刻 and 苦 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/keku"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

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

# What does 刻苦 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

刻苦 kèkǔ

## hardworking; assiduous

## It can also mean

- frugal

## Its characters

1. 刻 kè to carve
2. 苦 kǔ bitter

## In a sentence

他学习非常刻苦。 He studies very hard.

[More about 刻苦](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E5%88%BB%E8%8B%A6)

## More words with 刻 or 苦

- [此刻 cǐkè](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/cike)
- [雕刻 diāokè](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/diaoke)
- [艰苦 jiānkǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/jianku)
- [苦恼 kǔnǎo](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/kunao)
- [立刻 lìkè](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/like)
- [片刻 piànkè](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/pianke)
- [深刻 shēnkè](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shenke)
- [时刻 shíkè](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/shike)
- [痛苦 tòngkǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/tongku)
- [辛苦 xīnkǔ](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/xinku)

## Keep 刻苦 for Review

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