JLPT N1 › Freq. Frequency Top 50,000 Conjugation 手こずる · godan verb (-ru)
Form Positive Negative Dictionary 手て こずる 手て こずらない Polite 手て こずります 手て こずりません Past polite 手て こずりました 手て こずりませんでした Past 手て こずった 手て こずらなかった Te-form 手て こずって 手て こずらないで Desire 手て こずりたい 手て こずりたくない Potential 手て こずれる 手て こずれない Passive 手て こずられる 手て こずられない Causative 手て こずらせる 手て こずらせない Causative passive 手て こずらせられる also 手て こずらされる 手て こずらせられない also 手て こずらされない Volitional 手て こずろう Polite volitional 手て こずりましょう Imperative 手て こずれ 手て こずるな Conditional 手て こずれば 手て こずらなければ Tara conditional 手て こずったら 手て こずらなかったら
Usage patterns 〈 人ひと 〉 に 手て こずる to have a hard time dealing with someone
Many teachers have a hard time dealing with mischievous children.
〈 事こと 〉 に 手て こずる to struggle with a task or problem
I ended up struggling with the difficult problem.
〈 物も 〉 の 扱〉のとりあつか いに 手て こずる to have trouble handling something
I'm having trouble figuring out how to handle the new machine.
Kanji 摺 rub, fold, print (on cloth) 子 child, sign of the rat, 11PM-1AM Related words 苦労する is a broad word for enduring hardship or difficulty in general, while 手こずる specifically describes struggling to manage or control a particular person or task.
手間取る focuses on something taking longer than expected, whereas 手こずる emphasizes the frustration of not being able to handle the situation well.
困る is a general word for being troubled or at a loss, while 手こずる is more specific to struggling with the actual handling of a person or task.
苦戦する describes struggling in a contest, match, or competitive effort, while 手こずる is used more broadly for any troublesome person, object, or task.
手こずる is a near-synonym meaning to have trouble managing someone or something, almost interchangeable with 手を焼く but slightly more casual in tone.
Written forms 手て こずる Usage 57%
Standard spelling; the first kanji 手 is commonly used, while the rest is in kana.
てこずる Usage 41%
Kana spelling is common in informal writing and when the kanji is not needed.
手て 古こ 摺ず る Usage 2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the middle kanji 古 is a phonetic substitute.
梃子てこ 摺ず る Usage 1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form using 梃子摺 ; not recommended for learners.
手て 子こ 摺ず る
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; the middle kanji 子 is a phonetic substitute.
梃てこ 摺ず る
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; omits the initial 手 .
Etymology The origin is uncertain; a traditional proposal connects it with 梃子 and an older expression 梃子摺る , referring to difficulty handling a lever.
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