痛苦
tòngkǔ/tʰʊŋ⁵¹ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
The English word 'pain' is translated into Chinese as 痛苦 (tòngkǔ). Wiktionary also lists 疼痛 (téngtòng) and 苦痛 (kǔtòng).
Meaning: ache or bodily suffering (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 痛苦 | tòngkǔ | /tʰʊŋ⁵¹ kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /tʰʊŋ³³ fuː³⁵/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
| 疼痛 | téngtòng | /tʰɤŋ³⁵ tʰʊŋ⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /tʰɐŋ²¹ tʰʊŋ³³/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
| 苦痛 | kǔtòng | /kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ tʰʊŋ⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /fuː³⁵ tʰʊŋ³³/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
| 疼 | téng | /tʰɤŋ³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /tʰəŋ²⁴/ (Mandarin, Dungan, Sinological IPA) |
| 痛 | tòng | /tʰʊŋ⁵¹/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /tʰʊŋ³³/ (Cantonese, Guangzhou, Sinological IPA, Standard Cantonese, Hong Kong) |
While 疼 is the most common way to describe physical pain in spoken, everyday Chinese, 痛苦 is often used to describe mental or emotional suffering rather than just physical sensation.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 苦痛 is composed of 苦 (bitter) and 痛 (pain), emphasizing the intense or agonizing nature of the suffering.
Which one should you use?
痛苦 is often used to describe mental or emotional suffering rather than just physical sensation. 疼痛 is a more formal, clinical or written term for physical pain compared to 疼.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, the word for pain is тын. In Taiwanese Hokkien, pain is expressed as 痛苦.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word 疼 can function as both a noun (pain) and a verb (to ache) in Chinese sentences.
How do you pronounce it?
tòngkǔ
Did you know?
- The character 疼 is often used to express affection, as seen in the phrase 疼爱 which means 'to love dearly'.
- The character 痛 can sometimes be used in everyday language to mean 'thoroughly' or 'deeply', such as in the phrase 痛快 which means 'to one's heart's content'.
- The radical 疒, found in the character 疼, is a specialized semantic component that represents 'sickness' or 'illness' in many Chinese characters.
Examples in context
- 你有胸痛吗？Are you having any chest pain?This sentence uses 痛 to ask about chest pain.Tatoeba #13911082 by jan_OkulaJu, translation #5585371 by CK
- 痛开始减轻了。The pain has started to ease now.This sentence uses 痛 to describe pain easing.Tatoeba #6094840 by verdastelo9604, translation #278318 by sacredceltic
- 他背疼，不能弯腰。He has back pain, he can't bend over.This sentence uses 疼 to describe back pain.Tatoeba #3365336 by go_oo, translation #7772884 by sharris123
- 头疼Headache
- 肚子痛Stomachache
- 疼痛感持续了很久The pain sensation lasted a long time
- 我感到很痛苦I feel very painful or I am in great pain
- 牙疼Toothache
- 背部疼痛Back pain
- 头疼得很厉害To have a very severe headache
- 一时的疼痛Temporary pain
- 长期的疼痛Chronic pain
- 51 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Xiaowen is talking to Zhiqiang about a recent injury.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen你的腿还感到痛苦吗？Nǐ de tuǐ hái gǎndào tòngkǔ ma?Is your leg still in pain?
- 志强 Zhiqiang已经好多了，谢谢你。Yǐjīng hǎo duō le, xièxiè nǐ.It is much better, thank you.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen这种痛苦持续了多久？Zhè zhǒng tòngkǔ chíxù le duōjiǔ?How long did this pain last?
- 志强 Zhiqiang大概持续了两天。Dàgài chíxù le liǎng tiān.It lasted for about two days.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pain” translations and entries 痛苦, 疼痛, 苦痛, 疼, 痛, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 疼, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
