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苦戦 (くせん) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word Freq. Frequency Top 20,000 Conjugation Meanings 1
noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb
hard fight ; struggle ; close game
Used for a difficult battle, contest, or effort where one is struggling against strong opposition or tough conditions. Often appears as 苦戦する or 苦戦を強いられる.
I'm having a hard time with this problem.
Similar words 善ぜん 戦せん 善戦 means 'fighting well' or 'putting up a good fight' despite being at a disadvantage, often with a positive nuance, while 苦戦 emphasizes the difficulty and struggle itself.
奮ふん 闘とう 奮闘 means 'struggling hard' or 'strenuous effort', focusing on the active effort, whereas 苦戦 focuses on the tough situation and the difficulty of the fight.
Etymology Compound of 苦 (く, 'painful, difficult') and 戦 (せん, 'battle, fight'). The reading is on'yomi.
