Japanese symbol for “toil”
苦労
くろう
Romaji: kurou
trouble; hardship; difficulty; labour
In Japanese, toil 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 “toil”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 労力 | ろうりょく rouryoku | labour; labor; effort |
| 労 | ろう rou | labor; labour; toil |
| 労作 | ろうさく rousaku | toil; labor; labour |
| 塩 | しお shio | hardship; toil; trouble |
| 辛苦 | しんく shinku | hardship; toil; 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 “toil”.
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.