Japanese symbol for “suffer”
苦しむ
くるしむ
Romaji: kurushimu
to suffer; to groan; to be worried
In Japanese, suffer is 苦しむ, read くるしむ (kurushimu).
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
- v5m, vi to suffer; to groan; to be worried
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “suffer”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 浴びる | あびる abiru | to suffer (e.g. an attack); to draw (e.g. criticism, attention, praise); to have heaped upon |
| 負う | おう ou | to suffer (an injury); to sustain (a wound); to receive |
| 被る | こうむる koumuru | to suffer; to receive (kindness, rebuke, support); to sustain (damage) |
| 受ける | うける ukeru | to sustain (damage); to incur (a loss); to suffer (an injury) |
| 泣く | なく naku | to suffer (from); to be troubled (by); to face hardship |
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 |
| 苦しい | くるしい kurushii | painful; difficult; tough |
See also: Chinese symbol for “suffer”.
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.