1.
painful, agonizing
Causing physical or emotional pain or discomfort.
息が苦しい。
I'm having trouble breathing.
胸が苦しくなった。
My chest started feeling tight.
別れが苦しくて、涙が止まらなかった。
The parting was so painful that I couldn't stop crying.
2.
difficult, hard, tight
Being in a difficult situation, especially financially.
生活が苦しい。
Life is hard (financially).
会社の経営が苦しい。
The company's management is struggling.
今は苦しいけど、来月になれば楽になる。
Things are tight now, but they'll ease up next month.
3.
strained, far-fetched
Unconvincing or hard to justify.
苦しい言い訳だ。
That's a weak excuse.
その説明は苦しい。
That explanation is far-fetched.
彼の主張は苦しい立場に立っている。どう見ても無理がある。
His argument is on shaky ground. No matter how you look at it, there are issues.
苦しい expresses pain, difficulty, or distress.
FORMS:
- 苦しい (dictionary form)
- 苦しく (adverb: painfully)
- 苦しさ (noun: pain, difficulty)
- 苦しがる (to show signs of pain)
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 息が苦しい (hard to breathe)
- 生活が苦しい (life is hard financially)
- 苦しい立場 (difficult position)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 苦しい: painful, distressing
- 辛い: hard, tough (emotionally)
- 痛い: painful (physical)
- 難しい: difficult (intellectually)