苦参 kǔshēn shrubby sophora Origin Definitions Defs Strokes Stroke Words Sentences Sents 苦 kǔ adjective bitter having a sharp, pungent taste like that of coffee or unsweetened cocoa; the opposite of 甜 tián参 參 shēn noun ginseng (bound form) Any of several medicinal roots like ginseng or North American ginseng; also refers to sea cucumbers 海参 hǎishēn