How to Say "Suffering" in Japanese

苦しみ

kurushimi[kɯ̟ɾɯ̟ɕimʲi]

The Japanese word for "suffering" is 苦しみ (kurushimi).

苦しみ denotes the feeling of hardship or suffering and conveys a deeper level of emotional pain or distress.

Meaning: experiencing pain (adj)

How does it change in a sentence?

苦しみ is a noun that can be used as the subject or object of a sentence to represent the concept of suffering or the experience of it.

kurushimi

While 苦しみ (kurushimi) is a noun, the adjective 苦しい (kurushii) can be used to describe a lack of physical space or a tight budget, not just emotional pain.
The word 苦労様 (kurō-sama) is a phrase used to thank someone for their suffering or hard work. It acknowledges that the other person endured difficulty for the speaker's benefit.
The word 苦しみ shares its root with the word for 'bitter' in Japanese. This links the physical sensation of a harsh, bitter taste to the abstract concept of mental or emotional suffering.

32年間、私は苦しみ続けてきたんだ。
For 32 years, I've been living in suffering!
This sentence is useful for expressing a long period of living in suffering using 苦しみ.
Tatoeba #11195149 by small_snow, translation #2885763 by AlanF_US
人は苦しみを与える存在だ。
Humans are beings that cause suffering.
This sentence is useful for describing humans as beings that cause 苦しみ.
Tatoeba #12825102 by urro, translation #12883708 by clm333
彼は苦痛を抱えている
He is suffering.
彼の苦しみを理解できますか？
Can you understand his suffering?
プロジェクトの困難への対処方法
Coping strategies for the project's hardships.
彼は仕事で苦労している
He is suffering at work.
これほどの痛みは耐え難い
This level of suffering is unbearable.
彼は長い間苦しんできた
He has been suffering for a long time.

Ren and Yui are talking about a difficult friend.

蓮 Ren

彼が苦しみに耐えているのが分かるよ。
Kare ga kurushimi ni taete iru no ga wakaru yo.
I can tell he is enduring suffering.
結衣 Yui

本当に。何か力になりたいね。
Hontou ni. Nanika chikara ni naritai ne.
Really. I want to be of some help.
蓮 Ren

でも、今の彼には時間が必要だと思う。
Demo, ima no kare ni wa jikan ga hitsuyou da to omou.
But I think he needs time right now.
結衣 Yui

そうだね。静かに見守ろう。
Sou da ne. Shizuka ni mimamorou.
You're right. Let's just watch over him quietly.

Sources

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