苦心

• Reading: くしん
• Romaji: kushin
• Kanji breakdown: 苦 (ku) — suffering, bitter, hardship; 心 (shin) — heart, mind
• Pronunciation: /kɯ.ɕiɴ/

Meaning

Great pains; hard work; painstaking effort to achieve something.

A する verb describing the process of working very hard or struggling to accomplish something difficult. Emphasises the mental and emotional effort involved, not just physical labour. Common in phrases like 苦心の末 (after great effort) and 苦心する (to take great pains).

Examples

1. 苦心の末、ようやくプロジェクトが完成した。 After great effort, the project was finally completed.
2. 彼女は論文のテーマ選びに苦心している。 She's struggling to choose a topic for her thesis.
3. 苦心して作った作品が入賞して本当にうれしい。 I'm so happy that the work I put so much effort into won a prize.

Usage Guide

Context: work, creative endeavours, academic

Tone: empathetic

Origin & History

Compound of 苦 (suffering, bitter) + 心 (heart, mind). Literally 'a suffering heart,' expressing the mental anguish involved in striving toward a goal.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal