How to say 'Suffering' in Japanese | 苦

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

The Japanese word for Suffering is 'Ku', written as 苦 in Japanese.'Suffering' in hiragana is く.

word

苦

Meaning

Suffering

Reading

く

Kanji

苦Suffer

Explanation

The Japanese noun '苦 (く)' refers to 'suffering' or 'hardship'. It is often used in contexts related to physical or emotional pain, difficulties, or challenges. This word is commonly found in Buddhist teachings, where it is one of the fundamental concepts, but it is also used in everyday language to describe personal struggles. For example: life is full of suffering「人生は苦に満ちている」(じんせいはくにみちている). He endured great hardship「彼は大きな苦を耐えた」(かれはおおきなくをたえた). The word can also appear in compounds, such as '苦痛 (くつう)' (pain) or '苦労 (くろう)' (hardship).

Part Of Speech

noun

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

6923

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 苦

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

苦

Meaning

Suffer

Words Related to 苦 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

苦労

Meaning

Hardship

word

苦痛

Meaning

Pain

word

苦しみ

Meaning

Suffering

word

苦笑

Meaning

Wry smile

word

目茶苦茶

Meaning

Chaotic, Absurd

Learn the Word 苦

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What does 'Ku' (苦) mean?

'Ku' means 'Suffering' .

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