苦情

• Reading: くじょう
• Romaji: kujou
• Kanji breakdown: 苦 (ku) — suffering, bitter, hardship; 情 (jou) — feeling, emotion, circumstances
• Pronunciation: /kɯ.d͡ʑoː/

Meaning

Complaint; grievance; objection. An expression of dissatisfaction about a product, service, or situation.

A noun used when formally or informally expressing dissatisfaction. Common in both daily life and business contexts. Key collocations include 苦情を言う (to complain), 苦情を申し立てる (to file a complaint), 苦情処理 (complaint handling), and 苦情が殺到する (complaints flood in). Distinguished from 文句 (monku), which is more casual and can mean general grumbling, while 苦情 implies a specific grievance directed at someone responsible.

Examples

1. 隣の部屋の騒音について苦情を言った。 I complained about the noise from the next room.
2. お客様からの苦情にはすぐに対応しなければならない。 Complaints from customers must be addressed promptly.
3. 商品の不良について苦情が相次いだ。 Complaints about defective products came in one after another.

Usage Guide

Context: customer service, daily life, business

Tone: negative

Origin & History

From Sino-Japanese: 苦 (ku, suffering/bitter) + 情 (jou, feeling/emotion). Literally 'bitter feelings' — the emotional distress that motivates a complaint.

Cultural Context

Era: Pre-modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal