苦しい

• Reading: くるしい
• Romaji: kurushii
• Kanji breakdown: 苦 (ku/kuru) — bitter, suffering, hardship
• Pronunciation: /kɯ.ɾɯ.ɕiː/

Meaning

Painful; agonising; tough. Describes physical or emotional distress and hardship.

An i-adjective used for both physical suffering (息が苦しい, hard to breathe) and emotional/situational hardship (生活が苦しい, life is tough). Conjugates regularly: 苦しくない, 苦しかった. Related forms include 苦しむ (to suffer, verb) and 苦しみ (suffering, noun). Stronger than つらい, implying more intense or prolonged distress.

Examples

1. 走った後は息が苦しくなった。 After running, it became hard to breathe.
2. 家計が苦しいので節約している。 Our finances are tight, so we're cutting back on spending.
3. 苦しい時こそ友達の存在がありがたい。 It's during the tough times that you really appreciate having friends.

Usage Guide

Context: health, finance, emotions

Tone: negative

Origin & History

From 苦 (ku, bitter/suffering), a kanji depicting a bitter plant (草 top + 古 bottom). The しい suffix marks it as an i-adjective expressing an internal emotional or sensory state.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal