The bitter taste perceived in food or drink. (Formal/literary reading: くみ.) Can also be used metaphorically for painful or unpleasant experiences.
この薬は苦味が強くて飲みにくい。
This medicine has a strong bitterness and is hard to swallow.
緑茶の苦味が好きで、毎朝飲んでいる。
I like the bitterness of green tea and drink it every morning.
初めての失敗の苦味を味わった。
I tasted the bitterness of my first failure.