骨が折れる

• 読み: ほねがおれる
• ローマ字: hone ga oreru
• 漢字の分解: 骨 (hone/kotsu) — bone; 折 (ore/setsu) — to break, fold
• 発音: /ho.ne.ɡa.o.ɾe.ɾɯ/

意味

To be laborious; to be difficult; to require great effort. An idiomatic expression describing tasks that are physically or mentally exhausting.

A compound expression where 骨 (bone) + が (subject marker) + 折れる (to break) creates a vivid metaphor for exhausting work. The verb 折れる is Group 2 (ichidan). Not to be confused with the literal meaning of breaking a bone. Often used after completing a demanding task.

例文

1. この翻訳は専門用語が多くて骨が折れる。
2. 一人で引っ越しの準備をするのは骨が折れた。
3. 骨の折れる仕事だが、やりがいがある。

使い方ガイド

場面: work, tasks, daily life

トーン: empathetic

起源と歴史

Idiomatic metaphor from the physical sensation of exhaustion being so intense it feels as if one's bones might break. The expression has been in use since the Edo period.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal