# 酷 — severe; harsh

酷 means “severe; harsh”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 14 strokes. On'yomi: コク (koku). Kun'yomi: ひど(い) (hidoi). You'll see it in words such as 酷 (koku, “severe; harsh”).

- Meaning: severe; harsh
- On'yomi: コク (koku)
- Kun'yomi: ひど(い) (hidoi)
- Strokes: 14
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Qualities 5

## How to remember 酷

Sounds like 告: both read コク.

Parts: 酉 jar · 告 announce

## Words with 酷

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 酷 | こく (koku) | severe; harsh |

## More in the “Qualities 5” set

[疎](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/estranged/) · [剛](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/sturdy/) · [潔](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/spotless/) · [酷](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/severe/) · [邪](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/wicked/) · [劣](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/inferior/) · [怪](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/weird/) · [佳](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/fine/) · [壮](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/robust/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/severe/. Last updated 2026-11-01.