How to say 'Hardship' in Japanese | 苦労

word

Meaning

Hardship

Reading

Kanji

苦Suffer 労Labor

Explanation

The Japanese verbal noun '苦労 (くろう)' refers to 'hardship' or 'difficulty'. It is often used to describe the struggles, efforts, or troubles one experiences in life or work. This word carries a nuance of enduring or overcoming challenges. For example: He went through a lot of hardship「彼はたくさんの苦労をした」(かれはたくさんのくろうをした). Raising children involves a lot of hardship「子供を育てるのは苦労が多い」(こどもをそだてるのはくろうがおおい). The word can also be used in expressions like '苦労する (くろうする)', meaning 'to struggle' or 'to go through difficulties'.

Part Of Speech

verbal noun

Kanji JLPT

N3

Kanji Grade

4

Frequency

4118

Composition

kanji

Handwriting