How to say 'Painful' in Japanese | 苦しい

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

The Japanese word for Painful is 'Kurushii', written as 苦しい in Japanese.'Painful' in hiragana is くるしい.

word

苦しい

Meaning

Painful

Reading

くるしい

kurushii

Kanji

苦Suffer

Explanation

The Japanese adjective '苦しい (くるしい)' primarily means 'painful'. It is used to describe physical pain, emotional distress, or difficult situations. This word can also imply a sense of struggle or hardship. For example: my chest feels painful「胸が苦しい」(むねがくるしい). It was a painful decision「それは苦しい決断だった」(それはくるしいけつだんだった). In some contexts, it can also describe something that is hard to endure or tolerate, such as a tight schedule or a challenging task.

Part Of Speech

adjective

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

2473

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 苦しい

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

苦

Meaning

Suffer

Hiragana in the Word 苦しい

This word contains 2 Hiragana characters :

hiragana

し

Reading

Shi

hiragana

い

Reading

Words Related to 苦しい Through the Kanji 苦

These 12 Words contain the Kanji 苦 as well.

word

苦い

Meaning

Bitter

word

苦手

Meaning

Dislike, Weakness

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

苦労

Meaning

Hardship

word

苦痛

Meaning

Pain

word

苦しみ

Meaning

Suffering

word

苦笑

Meaning

Wry smile

word

苦

Meaning

Suffering

word

目茶苦茶

Meaning

Chaotic, Absurd

Learn the Word 苦しい

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What does 'Kurushii' (苦しい) mean?

'Kurushii' means 'Painful' .

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