苛 ho¹ {kē}

1. severe
2. exacting

苛刻 ho¹ hak¹ {kē kè}

1. harsh
2. pitiless

苛求 ho¹ kau⁴ {kē qiú}

demanding

苛性 ho¹ sing³ {kē xìng}

caustic (chemistry)

苛責〔-责〕 ho¹ zaak³ {kē zé}

1. to criticize harshly
2. to excoriate

苛性鉀〔--钾〕 ho¹ sing³ gaap³ {kē xìng jiǎ}

1. caustic potash
2. potassium hydroxide KOH

苛性鈉〔--钠〕 ho¹ sing³ naap⁶ {kē xìng nà}

1. caustic soda
2. sodium hydroxide NaOH

苛捐雜稅〔--杂税〕 ho¹ gyun¹ zaap⁶ seoi³ {kē juān zá shuì}

exorbitant taxation (idiom)

苛政猛於虎〔---于-〕 ho¹ zing³ maang⁵ jyu¹ fu² {kē zhèng měng yú hǔ}

tyrannical government is fiercer than a tiger (idiom)