狭 苦(せまくる)しい

せまくるしい

i-adjective

cramped, confined, stuffy

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	狭苦(せまくる)しい	狭苦(せまくる)しくない
Past	狭苦(せまくる)しかった	狭苦(せまくる)しくなかった
て form	狭苦(せまくる)しくて	狭苦(せまくる)しくなくて
Adverbial	狭苦(せまくる)しく	—
Conditional ば	狭苦(せまくる)しければ	狭苦(せまくる)しくなければ
Conditional たら	狭苦(せまくる)しかったら	狭苦(せまくる)しくなかったら

1. cramped, confined, uncomfortably narrow

Describes a space that is unpleasantly small and tight, causing physical or psychological discomfort. Stronger and more negative than 狭(せま)い (narrow), emphasizing the oppressive feeling of being in a small space.

狭苦(せまくる)しい部屋(へや)に住(す)んでいる。

I live in a cramped room.

狭苦(せまくる)しいオフィスで毎日(まいにち)働(はたら)くのはつらい。

Working every day in a cramped office is tough.

荷物(にもつ)が多(おお)すぎて、部屋(へや)が狭苦(せまくる)しくなってしまった。

There was too much luggage and the room became uncomfortably cramped.

Usage

An i-adjective (狭苦(せまくる)しい → 狭苦(せまくる)しくない). Formed from 狭(せま)い (narrow) + 苦(くる)しい (painful/uncomfortable), this compound adjective adds an element of discomfort or oppressiveness that plain 狭(せま)い lacks. Use 狭苦(せまくる)しい when emphasizing the unpleasant feeling, not just the physical dimensions.

Common collocations

狭苦(せまくる)しい部屋(へや): cramped room
狭苦(せまくる)しい空間(くうかん): confined space
狭苦(せまくる)しい車内(しゃない): cramped vehicle interior
狭苦(せまくる)しく感(かん)じる: to feel cramped

Related Words

Related: 狭(せま)い (narrow, small)

general

Added 2026.2.25 22:34 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

13500/13514_semakurushii