辛しん酸さん

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Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

hardships; privation; bitter experiences

Refers to severe difficulties, suffering, or bitter experiences one endures. Often used in formal or literary contexts.

彼かれは若わかい頃ころ、多おおくの辛しん酸さんをなめた。
He went through many hardships when he was young.
辛しん酸さんを乗のり越こえて、彼かれは成せい功こうした。
Overcoming bitter experiences, he succeeded.

See all 12 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉が辛しん酸さんを味あじわうto experience bitter hardships
彼かれは若わかい頃ころ、辛しん酸さんを味あじわった。
He experienced bitter hardships in his youth.
数々かずかずの辛酸しんさんcountless hardships
彼かの女じょは数かず々かずの辛しん酸さんを乗のり越こえてきた。
She has overcome countless hardships.
〈人ひと〉が辛しん酸さんに耐たえるto endure hardships
祖そ父ふは戦せん争そう中ちゅう、多おおくの辛しん酸さんに耐たえた。
My grandfather endured many hardships during the war.

Expressions

辛しん酸さんをなめるundergo many hardships; taste the bitters of life

Kanji

辛spicy, bitter, hot
酸acid, bitterness, sour

Related words

苦く労ろうN3
苦労 is the common, everyday word for hardships or toil, while 辛酸 is a literary term that emphasizes the bitterness of the suffering endured.
艱かん難なん
艱難 is an equally formal word for hardship or adversity, but it focuses on the difficulty of the situation itself, whereas 辛酸 stresses the bitter, painful quality of the experience.
憂うき目め
辛酸 is a literary term for bitter hardship typically paired with なめる, whereas 憂き目 is typically paired with 遭う or 見る.
辛しん苦く
辛酸 and 辛苦 are both formal words for bitter hardship, and both commonly appear with なめる (辛酸をなめる／辛苦をなめる) to mean 'to go through hardship'.

Don't confuse with

心しん算さん
心算 is a homophone of 辛酸 that means 'a plan' or 'mental estimate', a completely unrelated meaning despite the identical pronunciation.

Word family

辛しん酸さん甘かん苦く
hardships and joys; the sweets and bitters of life

Etymology

Compound of 辛 (bitter, painful) and 酸 (sour, acid), metaphorically referring to the bitter and sour tastes of life's hardships. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the spelling is conventionally associated with this meaning.