酷 — Cruel / Severe / Atrocious / Unjust

Master (高手)こく, ひど

Radical ⾣ · radical 164 The building block this kanji is filed under

酷 (readings: こく, ひど; Japanese kanji) means “Cruel / Severe / Atrocious / Unjust”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 残酷 (cruel).

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What does 酷 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	酷
Meaning	Cruel / Severe / Atrocious / Unjust
Readings	こく, ひど
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	残酷 (cruel)

How to read 酷

酷 is read こく or ひど depending on the word.

Words with 酷

残酷tàn khốc
苛酷khắc nghiệt / hà khắc

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Updated: 2026-07-22