苦しむ
くるしむ
to suffer, to groan, to be worried
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
祖母は長く病気で苦しんでいる。
そぼはながくびょうきでくるしんでいる。
My grandmother has been suffering from illness for a long time.
人々は貧困に苦しんだ。
ひとびとはひんこんにくるしんだ。
The people suffered under poverty.
答えが見つからず、夜中まで苦しみました。
こたえがみつからず、よなかまでくるしみました。
I couldn't find the answer and agonised over it until the middle of the night.
Common patterns
- 病気に苦しむ
- to suffer from illness
- 生活に苦しむ
- to struggle to make a living
- 苦しめる
- to torment (transitive)
Memory tip
苦しむ is physical or grinding suffering — illness, poverty, pain; 悩む is mental worrying over a choice. The source of the suffering is marked with に.
Kanji in this word
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What does 苦しむ mean?