What is the Kanji for "Suffer"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Suffer", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Suffer" is "苦".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Kuru" and "Niga".

Its onyomi reading is "Ku".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "艹" means "Grass" . And The kanji "古" means "Old" and can be read as "Ko" and "Furu".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "苦" mean in japanese?

"苦" means "Suffer".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

苦い: "Bitter". The Japanese adjective '苦い (にがい)' means 'bitter'. This adjective is used to describe something that has an unpleasant, sharp taste. It can be used to describe foods, drinks, and even feelings. For example: The coffee is bitter - (コーヒーが苦い). That medicine tastes bitter - (その薬は苦い味がする).

苦手: "Weak". The Japanese adjectival noun '苦手 (にがて)' means 'weak'. This word is used to describe an area or subject that someone struggles with or is not good at. It can also be used to refer to a personal dislike or aversion to certain things. For example: Math is my weakness - (数学は私の苦手です). I'm weak at cooking - (料理が苦手です).

苦しい: "Painful". The Japanese adjective '苦しい (くるしい)' means 'painful'. This adjective describes something that causes or involves physical or mental suffering, distress, or agony. It can be used to describe physical sensations, emotional states, or challenging situations. For example: The injury is painful - (けがが苦しい). It was a painful experience - (それは苦しい経験だった).

苦しむ: "Suffer". The Japanese verb '苦しむ (くるしむ)' means 'to suffer'. This verb is used to express physical or emotional distress, pain, or anguish. It can be used to describe a person or animal experiencing hardship, difficulty, or torment. For example: She is suffering from a terrible illness - (彼女は恐ろしい病気に苦しんでいる). The injured dog is suffering - (けがをした犬が苦しんでいる).

苦情: "Complaint". The noun '苦情 (くじょう)' means 'complaint'. It refers to an expression of dissatisfaction or discontent, typically about a product, service, or situation. People may file a '苦情' with a company, government agency, or other organization to bring attention to an issue they have experienced. For example: I filed a complaint about the poor service - (私はサービスの悪さについて苦情を申し立てた). She has many complaints about the new policy - (彼女はその新しい方針について多くの苦情を持っている).

苦心: "Effort" or "Pains". The verbal noun '苦心 (くしん)' means 'effort' or 'pains'. It refers to the act of trying hard or struggling to accomplish something, often overcoming difficulties or challenges in the process. This word conveys a sense of diligence, perseverance, and the difficulty involved in a task. For example: It took great effort to finish the project - (プロジェクトを完成させるのに苦心した). They put in a lot of pains to make this product - (この製品を作るのに苦心した).

苦しめる: "Suffer" or "Distress". The Japanese verb '苦しめる (くるしめる)' means 'to suffer' or 'to distress'. This verb is used to describe causing someone physical or emotional pain or anguish. It implies inflicting hardship or torment on another. For example: The illness is causing him to suffer - (その病気で彼は苦しめられている). The loss of her pet really distressed her - (ペットを亡くしたことで彼女は苦しめられた).

苦労: "Struggle". The Japanese verbal noun '苦労 (くろう)' means 'struggle'. It refers to experiencing difficulties, hardships or challenges in life. This word can be used to describe the act of overcoming obstacles or putting in great effort to achieve something. For example: The business owner struggled to keep the company afloat - (事業主は会社を維持するのに苦労した). He struggled to learn the language - (彼は言語を学ぶのに苦労した).

苦痛: "Pain". The noun '苦痛 (くつう)' means 'pain'. This word refers to a state of physical, emotional, or mental distress that a person experiences. It can describe intense discomfort, anguish, or suffering. For example: The patient is in great pain - (患者は苦痛に苛まれている). The experience of losing a loved one can cause immense pain - (大切な人を失うことは甚大な苦痛を伴う).

苦しみ: "Suffering". The noun '苦しみ (くるしみ)' means 'suffering'. This word refers to a state of physical or mental distress, pain, or torment that a person experiences. It can be used to describe various forms of anguish, hardship, or misery. For example: She is in great suffering - (彼女は大きな苦しみの中にいる). The suffering of the poor is often overlooked - (貧しい人々の苦しみはしばしば見過ごされる).

苦笑: "Wry smile". The noun '苦笑 (くしょう)' refers to a wry or forced smile, often expressed in awkward or uncomfortable situations. It conveys a sense of reluctance, embarrassment or displeasure. For example: He gave a wry smile when he heard the news - (彼はその知らせを聞いて苦笑した). She let out a wry smile as she realized her mistake - (彼女は自分の間違いに気づいて苦笑した).

苦: "Pain". The noun '苦 (く)' means 'pain'. This word refers to a physical or emotional sensation of discomfort, distress, or suffering. It can be used to describe various types of pain, such as physical pain, mental anguish, or emotional distress. For example: I am in great pain - (私は大きな苦しみを感じている). The pain of losing a loved one - (大切な人を失う痛み)

目茶苦茶: "Crazy" or "Chaotic". The adjectival noun '目茶苦茶 (めちゃくちゃ)' has two main meanings. The first is 'crazy', used to describe something or someone that is extremely wild, chaotic or irrational. For example: The party was crazy - (パーティーは目茶苦茶だった). The second meaning is 'chaotic', used to describe a situation or environment that is extremely messy, disorganized or lacking in order. For example: My room is so chaotic - (私の部屋はとても目茶苦茶だ).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". The hiragana "る" is read as "ru". The hiragana "に" is read as "ni". And The hiragana "が" is read as "ga".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.