酷: the kanji for cruel; severe

酷 is a JLPT N1 kanji that means cruel; severe. Below are its readings, 3 common words and example sentences, all with audio.

cruel; severeMeaning

コクOn reading

—Kun reading

14Strokes

Stroke order

酷 is written in 14 strokes. The red stroke is the one to write next, and the dot shows where it starts.

Words by reading

酷 has 1 reading in the official Jōyō Kanji Table. Below are 3 common words grouped by reading. Tap ▶ to hear each word (audio plays with a free account).

コク (koku)

On reading.

Word	Meaning
残酷ざんこく · zankoku	cruel
冷酷れいこく · reikoku	cold-hearted
過酷かこく · kakoku	harsh; severe

Example sentences for work and daily life

動物に残酷なことをしてはいけない。Dōbutsu ni zankoku na koto o shite wa ikenai.You must not be cruel to animals.
過酷な環境で働く人たちがいる。Kakoku na kankyō de hataraku hitotachi ga iru.There are people who work in harsh conditions.
冷酷な悪役を演じた。Reikoku na akuyaku o enjita.He played a cold-hearted villain.
今年の夏は酷暑だった。Kotoshi no natsu wa kokusho datta.This summer was brutally hot.
二つの作品は酷似している。Futatsu no sakuhin wa kokuji shite iru.The two works are strikingly similar.

Questions about 酷

How many strokes does 酷 have?

酷 is written in 14 strokes. The stroke order is shown at the top of this page.

What are the readings of 酷?

The on readings are koku (コク). 酷 has no kun reading in the Jōyō Kanji Table.

What JLPT level is 酷?

N1. The JLPT does not publish official kanji lists, so this level is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used through 2009.

About the JLPT level

The JLPT does not publish official lists of kanji for each level. The level on this page is a guide based on the official Test Content Specifications used for the test through 2009. The JLPT states that the current N1 is designed to match the former Level 1.