骨(ほね)が折(お)れる

ほねがおれる
expression
to be hard work; to be laborious
idiomwork
1. to be hard work; to take great effort
Said of a task that demands great effort; literally 'the bones break.' 骨(ほね)の折(お)れる仕事(しごと) is a laborious job. The transitive 骨(ほね)を折(お)る means to take pains, usually on someone else's behalf. The phrase can also be literal: to break a bone.
この仕事(しごと)は骨(ほね)が折(お)れる。
This job is hard work.
大人(おとな)になってから外国語(がいこくご)を覚(おぼ)えるのは骨(ほね)が折(お)れる。
Learning a foreign language as an adult is laborious.
古(ふる)い資料(しりょう)を全部(ぜんぶ)読(よ)んで整理(せいり)するのは骨(ほね)の折(お)れる作業(さぎょう)だったが、結果(けっか)には満足(まんぞく)している。
Reading and organizing all the old documents was laborious work, but I'm satisfied with the result.

Literally 'the bones break' under the effort. The literal sense, to break a bone, also exists; context decides.

Common patterns

Similar words

Related Words

Pair verb: 骨(ほね)を折(お)る (to take pains (transitive))
Related: 骨(ほね) (bone)
Compare: 大変(たいへん) (hard, tough)
general
Added 2026.9.10 0:45 · Revised 2026.9.10 0:54
30500/30833_honegaoreru