辛苦
xīnkǔ · HSK 5
work hard
😓 辛苦 = bitter/pungent (辛) + bitter (苦) → bitter hardship, hard work
Both characters mean 'bitter': 辛 is the sharp/pungent kind, 苦 the bitter-taste kind. Stacking two bitters intensifies the sense — life is doubly bitter, i.e. toilsome. Often used to thank someone: 辛苦了 = you've worked hard.
苦 — grass radical 艹 + 古 (old)
Originally referred to a bitter-tasting plant, with the grass radical 艹 indicating its botanical nature and 古 providing the phonetic element. The meaning extended from the literal bitter taste to figurative senses of hardship, suffering, and painful effort.