How to Say "Painful" in Chinese

痛苦的

tòngkǔ de

The English phrase 'painful' is translated into Chinese as 痛苦的 (tòngkǔ de). Wiktionary also lists 疼痛的 (téngtòng de).

Meaning: causing pain (adj)

Ways to say it

“painful” in Chinese
Chinese	Romanization (Wiktionary)
痛苦的	tòngkǔ de
疼痛的	téngtòng de

The term is used to describe something that causes pain. This can refer to profound emotional suffering or long-term, deep physical suffering.

The core component 痛苦 (tòngkǔ) is composed of 痛 (pain) and 苦 (bitterness or suffering).

痛苦的 is typically used when discussing deep emotional suffering or profound, long-term physical suffering.

When using 痛苦 as a predicate, the particle 的 can often be omitted, such as in the sentence '他很痛苦' (He is very painful/suffering).

tòngkǔ de

The character 痛 (tòng) can also be used in a hyperbolic sense to mean 'extremely' or 'deeply', such as in the phrase '痛快' (tòngkuài), which describes feeling refreshed or extremely happy.
If you want to say someone is 'suffering' through a difficult time, you might say they are 'eating bitterness' (吃苦), a common metaphor for enduring hardship.
When a parent comforts a child who is in pain, they might use the phrase 心疼 (xīn téng). While it contains the word for 'pain', it actually means to love someone so much that their suffering hurts you.

被拒絕是痛苦的。
Being rejected is painful.
This sentence shows how to describe the pain of being rejected.
Tatoeba #6120796 by verdastelo9604, translation #5769648 by Hybrid
这五年痛苦的癌症治疗他终于坚持下来了。
Throughout the five years of painful cancer treatments, he managed to keep a stiff upper lip.
This sentence uses the term to describe long-term cancer treatments.
Tatoeba #6330923 by yuiyu, translation #72492 by CK
蜜蜂螫人可以是非常痛苦的。
Bee stings can be very painful.
This sentence illustrates how to describe the pain caused by bee stings.
Tatoeba #845461 by Martha, translation #321079 by CK
我的头很疼，需要休息一下。
My head is painful, I need to rest for a while.
我腿摔伤了，痛死了！
I injured my leg, it's so painful!
昨天的运动课让我疼得要命。
Yesterday's PE class left me in extreme pain.
1 more sentence on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing a difficult memory.

佳怡 Jiayi

回想那段往事是很痛苦的。
Huíxiǎng nà duàn wǎngshì shì hěn tòngkǔ de.
Recalling that past event is very painful.
俊杰 Junjie

我也觉得那段回忆很痛苦。
Wǒ yě juédé nà duàn huíyì hěn tòngkǔ.
I also feel that memory is painful.
佳怡 Jiayi

既然如此，你就别再想了。
Jìrán rúcǐ, nǐ jiù bié zài xiǎngle.
Since that's the case, don't think about it anymore.
俊杰 Junjie

谢谢你的关心，佳怡。
Xièxiè nǐ de guānxīn, Jiāyí.
Thank you for your concern, Jiayi.

Sources

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