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しんどい Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word› Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Conjugation しんどい · i-adjective
Form Positive Negative Dictionary しんどい しんどくない Polite しんどいです しんどくないです also しんどくありません Past polite しんどかったです しんどくなかったです also しんどくありませんでした Past しんどかった しんどくなかった Te-form しんどくて しんどくなくて Adverbial しんどく Conditional しんどければ しんどくなければ Tara conditional しんどかったら しんどくなかったら
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I'm tired from walking all day today.
Usage patterns 〈 事こと 〉 がしんどい [a task/situation] is tough or draining
Commuting on a packed train is exhausting.
体からだ がしんどい to feel physically exhausted
I feel exhausted—maybe I have a fever.
〈 動どう 詞し 〉 のがしんどい doing [something] is exhausting or a hassle
Getting up early every morning is exhausting.
気き 持も ちがしんどい to feel mentally drained or worn down
I'm mentally worn out from dealing with relationships.
Related words 疲れる is the neutral, standard verb for 'to become tired', while しんどい is a casual i-adjective describing the resulting exhausted state, often with extra emotional weight.
だるい focuses on a heavy, sluggish physical feeling (often from illness), whereas しんどい covers both physical fatigue and mental or situational strain.
つらい emphasizes emotional pain or hardship endured, while しんどい is more about the sheer effort or exhaustion something demands.
きつい stresses that something is harsh, tight, or demanding in intensity, while しんどい focuses on the draining, wearying effect it has on the person.
面倒 highlights that something is bothersome or a hassle to deal with, while しんどい adds a sense of physical or mental drain on top of the hassle.
Written forms しんどい Usage 94%
Kana-only adjective; originally Kansai dialect but now widely used across Japan.
シンドイ Usage 6%
Etymology Originally a Kansai dialect word. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it may be related to しん (core, heart) or a contraction of しに (from 死ぬ) + つらい, though this is speculative. Now widely used in casual Japanese.