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How to say 'Hardship' in Japanese | 苦労

Wondering how to say 'Hardship' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Hardship is 'Kurou', written as 苦労 in Japanese.'Hardship' in hiragana is くろう.

    word

    苦労

    Meaning

    Hardship

    Reading

    くろう

    kurou

    Kanji

    Suffer 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

Kanji in the Word 苦労

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Suffer

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Labor

Words Related to 苦労 Through the Kanji

These 12 Words contain the Kanji 苦 as well.

  • word

    苦い

    Meaning

    Bitter

  • word

    苦手

    Meaning

    Dislike, Weakness

  • word

    苦しい

    Meaning

    Painful

  • word

    苦しむ

    Meaning

    Suffer

  • word

    苦情

    Meaning

    Complaint

  • word

    苦心

    Meaning

    Struggle, Effort

  • word

    苦しめる

    Meaning

    Torment

  • word

    苦痛

    Meaning

    Pain

  • word

    苦しみ

    Meaning

    Suffering

  • word

    苦笑

    Meaning

    Wry smile

  • word

    Meaning

    Suffering

  • word

    目茶苦茶

    Meaning

    Chaotic, Absurd

Words Related to 苦労 Through the Kanji

These 6 Words contain the Kanji 労 as well.

  • word

    勤労

    Meaning

    Work, Labor

  • word

    過労

    Meaning

    Overwork

  • word

    労働者

    Meaning

    Worker

  • word

    労働

    Meaning

    Work

  • word

    疲労

    Meaning

    Fatigue

  • word

    労力

    Meaning

    Labor, Effort

Learn the Word 苦労

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What does 'Kurou' (苦労) mean?

'Kurou' means 'Hardship' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.