快 Pleasant 苦 Painful 死 Death 地獄 Hell 天国 Paradise 現実 Reality
11
苦しむ

To Suffer

Meaning

To Suffer, To Struggle

Word Type

intransitive verb, godan verb

Explanation

You've already been introduced to the word 苦しい. That word means painful, or agonizing. So, if you turn that into a verb, you have to suffer or to struggle.

Reading

くるしむ

Explanation

The reading comes from 苦しい, so as long as you're on top of that word, this word should be readable for you as well.

Context

Patterns of Use

Common Word Combinations

  • 生活に苦しむ

    to struggle to make a living, to be badly off

    赤字に苦しむ

    to suffer from a financial deficit

    ギャップに苦しむ

    to suffer from a gap (between ideals and reality)

  • 一人で苦しむ

    to suffer alone

    病気で苦しむ

    to suffer from illness

    うつ病で苦しむ

    to suffer from depression

Context Sentences

日本には長時間労働に苦しむ人が多くいます。

There are many people who suffer from long hours at work in Japan.

いじめに苦しみながら学校に行きたくないよ。

I don't want to go to school while suffering from bullying.

なぜ罪のない人が苦しんでいるのか。

Why do innocent people suffer?

Kanji Composition