痛い

• Reading: いたい
• Romaji: itai
• Kanji breakdown: 痛 (tsuu/ita) — pain, ache
• Pronunciation: /i.ta.i/

Meaning

Painful; sore; hurting. Describes physical pain or discomfort.

An i-adjective used to describe pain. Conjugates regularly: 痛くない (not painful), 痛かった (was painful). Commonly paired with body parts: 頭が痛い (headache), お腹が痛い (stomachache), 歯が痛い (toothache). As an exclamation, 痛い! or いたっ! means 'Ouch!' Also used figuratively: 痛い人 (an embarrassing person) in slang.

Examples

1. 転んで膝が痛いです。 I fell and my knee hurts.
2. 朝から頭が痛くて薬を飲みました。 I've had a headache since this morning, so I took some medicine.
3. 痛かったら先生に言ってください。 If it hurts, please tell the teacher.

Usage Guide

Context: health, hospital, daily life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

From Old Japanese. The kanji 痛 combines 疒 (illness radical) and 甬 (a phonetic element suggesting throbbing), representing the sensation of pain.

Cultural Context

Era: Ancient

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal