苦

Meaning

苦 centers on a bitter, difficult experience: suffering, hardship, and worry. The scowl and feeling bitter are natural outward signs of that inner distress.

• 苦手にがて
  N3

  poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at)

• 苦労くろう
  N3

  trouble; hardship; difficulty; labour; labor; toil; pains

• 苦しいくるしい
  N3

  painful; difficult; tough; hard

• 滅茶苦茶めちゃくちゃ
  N3

  absurd; unreasonable; nonsensical; preposterous; incoherent

• 苦しむくるしむ
  N3

  to suffer; to groan; to be worried

• 苦痛くつう
  N3

  pain; agony; suffering; distress; torment

• 苦しみくるしみ
  N2

  pain; anguish; distress; suffering; hardship

• 苦情くじょう
  N3

  complaint; troubles; objection; grievance

• 苦しめるくるしめる
  N1

  to torment; to pain; to inflict (physical) pain; to hurt

• 苦戦くせん

  hard fight; close game; struggle; tight contest

• 苦悩くのう
  N1

  (mental) agony; anguish; suffering; distress

• 苦笑くしょう

  bitter smile; wry smile; strained laugh; sarcastic laugh

• 苦いにがい
  N4

  bitter

• 無茶苦茶むちゃくちゃ
  N2

  nonsensical; unreasonable; absurd; unrealistic

• 苦言くげん

  candid advice; frank advice; honest opinion; exhortation; harsh but honest advice

• 苦難くなん

  suffering; distress; hardship; trial

• 苦境くきょう

  difficult situation; adverse circumstances; predicament; trouble; dilemma; distress

• 見苦しいみぐるしい
  N2

  unsightly; ugly; unseemly; indecent; deplorable; disgraceful; shameful

• 苦笑いにがわらい
  N1

  bitter smile; wry smile; forced smile; strained laugh

• 苦味にがみ
  N2

  bitterness; bitter taste

• 苦渋くじゅう

  bitterness; distress; pain; anguish; affliction

• 苦心くしん
  N2

  pains; hard work; effort; trouble; labour; labor

• 苦慮くりょ

  racking one's brains; worrying oneself; being anxious

• 苦肉の策くにくのさく

  last resort; desperate measure taken under the pressure of necessity

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