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Word 58 of 2252

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苦しい

くるしい

painful, hard

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Examples

  1. 胸が苦しいです。

    むねがくるしいです。

    My chest hurts.

  2. 走りすぎて息が苦しいです。

    はしりすぎていきがくるしいです。

    I ran too much and can hardly breathe.

  3. 給料が下がって、生活が苦しくなりました。

    きゅうりょうがさがって、せいかつがくるしくなりました。

    My pay went down and life has become hard.

Common patterns

息が苦しい
to have trouble breathing
生活が苦しい
to struggle to make ends meet
苦しくなる
to become painful/hard

Often confused with

Memory tip

苦しい is distress you can barely bear — breathlessness, a tight chest, a hard life. Sharp local pain like a cut or a headache is 痛い.

Kanji in this word

Quick check

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What does 苦しい mean?