Japanese symbol for “distressing”
苦しい
くるしい
Romaji: kurushii
painful; difficult; tough; hard
In Japanese, distressing is 苦しい, read くるしい (kurushii).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-i painful; difficult; tough; hard
- adj-i distressing; (psychologically) difficult; stressful; awkward (e.g. position)
- adj-i straitened (circumstances); tight (financial situation); needy; struggling
- adj-i strained (interpretation, explanation, etc.); lame (e.g. excuse); forced (e.g. smile); far-fetched
- adj-i, suf hard to do; unpleasant
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “distressing”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦い | にがい nigai | bitter (e.g. experience); painful; distressing |
| 困った | こまった komatta | disturbing; distressing |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦手 | にがて nigate | poor (at); weak (in); not very good (at) |
| 苦労 | くろう kurou | trouble; hardship; difficulty |
| 苦しみ | くるしみ kurushimi | pain; anguish; distress |
| 苦痛 | くつう kutsuu | pain; agony; suffering |
| 苦情 | くじょう kujou | complaint; troubles; objection |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.