苦く汁じゅうをなめる

Meanings

1

expression, ichidan verb

have a bitter experience; taste the bitterness of life

idiomatic expression

Idiomatic expression meaning to go through a painful or humiliating experience, often involving failure or hardship. Literally 'to lick bitter juice'.

若わかい頃ころに苦く汁じゅうをなめた経けい験けんが、今いまの彼かれを強つよくした。
The bitter experiences he went through when he was young made him stronger today.

新しん規き事じ業ぎょうは失しっ敗ぱいし、社しゃ長ちょうは苦く汁じゅうをなめた。

The new business venture failed, and the president had a bitter experience.

Written forms

苦く汁じゅうをなめる
Standard kanji-kana mixed spelling for this idiom.
苦く汁じゅうを舐なめる
Variant using the kanji 舐める for なめる.
苦く汁じゅうを嘗なめる
Rare variant using the older kanji 嘗める.
苦く渋じゅうをなめる
irregular kanji usage
Irregular kanji usage; 苦渋 is not standard for this idiom.

Kanji

苦suffering, trial, worry
汁soup, juice, broth
舐lick, lap up, burn up
嘗once, before, formerly
渋astringent, hesitate, reluctant

Similar words

苦にがい経けい験けんをする
A more literal and less idiomatic way to say 'have a bitter experience'. 苦汁をなめる is a set phrase with a stronger emotional connotation of humiliation or hardship.
辛しん酸さんをなめる
Similar idiomatic expression meaning 'to go through hardships'. 辛酸 emphasizes suffering and adversity, while 苦汁 focuses on bitterness and humiliation.

Etymology

The idiom literally means 'to lick bitter juice', metaphorically expressing the experience of hardship or humiliation. The exact origin is uncertain, but it is a well-established Japanese expression.