哭 (kū)

哭 means to cry or weep, expressing sadness, pain, or strong emotion through tears and often sound.

Meanings

[verb] to cry; to weep; to shed tears from emotion or pain

Example Sentences

她看完那部电影就哭了。 Tā kàn wán nà bù diànyǐng jiù kū le. She cried after finishing that movie.

小孩子摔倒了，开始大声哭。 Xiǎo háizi shuāi dǎo le, kāishǐ dàshēng kū. The little child fell down and started crying loudly.

别哭了，一切都会好的。 Bié kū le, yīqiē dōu huì hǎo de. Stop crying; everything will be fine.

他听到那个消息，忍不住哭了起来。 Tā tīng dào nà gè xiāoxi, rěn bu zhù kū le qǐlái. When he heard that news, he could not help but burst into tears.

Collocations

Collocation	Meaning
大哭 (dà kū)	to cry loudly; to sob
哭泣 (kūqì)	to weep; to cry softly
哭了 (kū le)	cried; started crying
哭鼻子 (kū bízi)	to cry (colloquial, child's speech)
忍不住哭 (rěn bu zhù kū)	cannot help but cry

Memory Hook

The character 哭 shows two 口 (mouths) on top, which look like two wide-open crying eyes, with a 犬 (dog) underneath — picture a dog howling with its mouth wide open: 哭.