The Meaning of kurushimu [苦しむ] In Japanese

苦しむ
くるしむ
Romaji: kurushimu N4

What does 苦しむ mean?

Translation and Meaning

to suffer, to be in pain, to endure hardship

Definition

苦しむ means to experience physical or emotional pain or distress and to endure hardship; it describes an ongoing state of suffering and applies to illness, misfortune, or difficult circumstances.

Type

verb (動詞)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • to experience physical pain or illness
  • to feel emotional distress or anxiety
  • to endure hardship or difficult circumstances
  • to be afflicted by a situation or misfortune

Etymology

苦 carries the kun-reading くる in the relevant compounds and the native verb suffix しむ attaches to form 苦しむ, the intransitive verb meaning to suffer; this is a native formation rather than a loanword, reflecting the core concept of pain and hardship in Japanese.

Composition

  • 苦: pain, distress
  • しむ: native verb suffix forming a verb indicating undergoing the state

Usage

Used in formal, literary, and narrative contexts to describe ongoing states of distress or hardship; with patterns subject は/が + source + に苦しむ, or with progressive 苦しんでいる; common in medical, social, and news contexts to report illness or misfortune.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: visualize 苦 as a face twisted in pain and imagine the suffix しむ turning that state into a verb, so 苦しむ literally means to be in a state of苦

Variations

  • 苦痛を感じる (くつうをかんじる) — feel pain
  • 苦悶する (くもんする) — suffer greatly
  • 痛む (いたむ) — hurt, ache
  • 苦労する (くろうする) — encounter difficulties

Example Phrases

  • 私は 学校で 苦しむ 友達を 励ます
    Watashi wa gakkō de kurushimu tomodachi o hagemasu
    I encourage a friend who is suffering at school.
    Lista:
    • 私は (watashi wa) – I
    • 学校で (gakkō de) – at school
    • 苦しむ (kurushimu) – to suffer
    • 友達を (tomodachi o) – my friend
    • 励ます (hagemasu) – to encourage
    Here, 「苦しむ」 is used in a relative clause before 友達, forming 苦しむ友達 = ‘a friend who suffers’.
苦しむ