Japanese symbol for “pains”
苦労
くろう
Romaji: kurou
trouble; hardship; difficulty; labour
In Japanese, pains is 苦労, read くろう (kurou).
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
- n, vi, vs trouble; hardship; difficulty; labour; labor; toil
- n, vi, vs anxiety; worry; concern; cares
Written forms: 苦労、苦勞. Readings: くろう.
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “pains”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 苦心 | くしん kushin | pains; hard work; effort |
| 労 | ろう rou | labor; labour; toil |
| 丹精 | たんせい tansei | working earnestly; sincerity; diligence |
| 一苦労 | ひとくろう hitokurou | a hard time; pains |
| 骨折り | ほねおり honeori | pains; efforts; trouble |
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 |
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
| 労働 | ろうどう roudou | labor; labour; work |
| 疲労 | ひろう hirou | fatigue; weariness; exhaustion |
| 過労 | かろう karou | overwork; strain |
See also: Chinese symbol for “pains”.
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.
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