► 動詞
苦労 [(1)くろう] [苦労する] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ 新技術の開発に際してもっと苦労した点は何ですか？ ⇨ What was the point you had the biggest difficulty during the development of the new technology?
応える [(3)こたえる] [coll] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ 猛暑が体に応える ⇨ The heat wave is hard on my body (☛ Physically or mentally hard)
難航 [なんこう] [難航する] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 救助作業は難航している ⇨ The rescue operation is having a lot of difficulty (☛ Literally “difficult navigation”)
難しがる [(5)むずかしがる] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 皆難しがったが私は簡単だと思った ⇨ Everybody said it was difficult but I found it easy
► 成句
始末 [(1)しまつ] [始末に負えない] [coll] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ あいつはどうにも始末に負えない ⇨ He is just impossible to deal with (☛ About something annoying to deal with)
☆ 燃料の倉庫が火事になって始末に負えなくなった ⇨ The warehouse of fuel had a fire and it went out of control (☛ About something annoying to deal with)
手 [て] [手に負えない] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ 山火事は手に負えない状態にあった ⇨ The wildfire was too much to handle
☆ 手に負えない子供 ⇨ An impossible child. A child impossible to handle
手 [て] [手が焼ける] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ うちの息子には本当に手が焼ける ⇨ My son burns my hand, causes a lot of problems (☛ Usually only refers to a person)
骨 [(2)ほね] [骨が折れる] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 子供を育てるのは本当に骨が折れる仕事だ ⇨ Raising children is a job that really breaks your bones, it is difficult
茨 [いばら] [茨の道] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 彼の人生は茨の道だった ⇨ His life was a road through thorny plants, filled with difficulty
断腸 [だんちょう] [断腸の思い] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆
背水の陣 [(6)はいすいのじん] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 〇勝三敗の彼等は背水の陣を敷いた ⇨ Lead by 0-3, facing elimination, they took a position facing a river. They got ready for a fight to the death (☛ An allusion to the story that Chinese army once fought and beat the enemy with a river behind, making retreating impossible even if they wanted to)
骨折り [ほねおり] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 骨折り損のくたびれ儲け (ほねおりぞん) ⇨ Broke bones and only earned tiredness. Bust your butt for nothing (☛ A common phrase)
► 名詞
苦労 [(1)くろう] [苦労人] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ 彼女は大変な苦労人だ (くろうにん) ⇨ She has gone through a lot of hardship
難しさ [(3)むずかしさ] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ 男の子と女の子は育てるのに別の難しさがある ⇨ Raising boys and girls have different challenges
困難 [(1)こんなん] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ 計画の実現には多くの困難が伴った ⇨ Many difficulties accompanied the realization of the project
絶体絶命 [ぜったいぜつめい] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ 絶体絶命の危機 ⇨ A crisis with no escape (☛ Literally “end body end life”. An extremely difficult situation that leads to death)
逆境 [ぎゃっきょう] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 彼は人生で逆境というものを経験したことがない ⇨ He has never experienced any adversity in his life (☛ Literally “counter situation”)
苦難 [(1)くなん] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 苦難に満ちた人生 ⇨ A life filled with adversities
修羅場 [しゅらば] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 彼はいくもの修羅場をくぐり抜けてきた ⇨ He has gone through numerous extreme situations, hell (☛ The Buddhist mythical place where gods battle)
試練 [(1)しれん] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 彼は多くの試練を乗り越えてきた ⇨ He has been overcoming many adversities (☛ Difficulties that test your character and ability)
難関 [なんかん] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ あの大学は競争率百倍の難関だ ⇨ That college is very difficult to get in with an acceptance rate of 1:100
☆ 津軽海峡は世界の難関の一つだ ⇨ The Tsugaru strait is one of the most difficult waters (to swim across) in the world
難航 [なんこう] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 交渉は難航が予想される ⇨ The negotiation is expected to be difficult (☛ Literally “difficult navigation”)
荒波 [あらなみ] [荒波に揉まれる] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 社会の荒波に揉まれたことがない人 ⇨ A person who have never been tossed around by the rough sea, experienced the tough reality of society
辛酸 [しんさん] [辛酸を嘗める] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ あいつのせいで辛酸を嘗めさせられた ⇨ I was made to lick acid, go through a tough time, because of him (☛ Literally “hard acid”)
難局 [なんきょく] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 我々は何とか難局を乗り切った ⇨ We somehow managed through difficult circumstances
難度 [(1)なんど] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 難度の高い体操の技 ⇨ A gymnastic move of high difficulty
八方塞がり [(5)はっぽうふさがり] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 事業は八方塞がりになってしまった ⇨ The business has no more recourse (☛ Literally means “eight corners all blocked”)
一山 [(2)ひとやま] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 仕事は取敢えず一山越えた ⇨ We have gone over one hill, difficult part, of the work
臍曲がり [(3)へそまがり] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ へそ曲がり爺 ⇨ A difficult, argumentative, old man
偏屈者 [へんくつもの] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 彼は偏屈者だから付き合い切れない ⇨ I cannot deal with him because he is so difficult, narrow-minded
分からず屋 [わからずや] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ あいつはとにかく分からず屋だ ⇨ He is impossible to deal with. He has to say no to everything (☛ Literally “person who doesn’t understand”)
► 形容詞
きつい [(2)きつい] [coll] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ 工事現場の仕事はきつい ⇨ The work at construction sites is physically demanding
☆ 毎日10キロ走るのはきつい ⇨ It is tough to run 10km every day
☆ 精神的にきつい仕事 ⇨ A mentally draining job
厳しい [(3)きびしい] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ 彼等の優勝は厳しくなった ⇨ Their winning the championship has become unlikely
苦しい [(3)くるしい] [coll] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ この仕事を明日までに仕上げるのはちょっと苦しい ⇨ It is a little too difficult to finish this work by tomorrow
☆ 会社の経営が苦しい ⇨ The company is in financial difficulty
☆ 息が苦しい ⇨ It is hard to breathe. I am having a trouble breathing (☛ Physically difficult)
辛い [(2)つらい] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ 彼は両者の間に挟まれて辛い立場に有る ⇨ He is caught in the middle of the two and in a difficult position
☆ 一人で生きていくのは非常に辛い ⇨ It is mentally very difficult to live life alone (☛ Mentally difficult)
辛い [(2)づらい] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ この教科書は解り辛い ⇨ This textbook is difficult to understand (☛ Usually interchangeable with ”にくい”)
☆ この錠剤は大き過ぎて飲み込み辛い ⇨ This pill is too big and hard to swallow (☛ Usually interchangeable with ”にくい”)
☆ 字が小さ過ぎて読み辛い ⇨ The letters are too small and hard to read (☛ Usually interchangeable with ”にくい”)
☆ 画面に光が反射して見辛い ⇨ Light is reflected on the screen and hart to see (☛ Usually interchangeable with ”にくい”)
難い [(2)にくい] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ この教科書は解りにくい ⇨ This textbook is difficult to understand
☆ この蓋は子供が開けないようににわざと開け難くしてある ⇨ This lid is made intentionally difficult to open for children
☆ この車は後ろが見難い ⇨ It is hard to look what is behind in this car
☆ 聞き難い質問 ⇨ A question hard/awkward to ask
難しい [(4)むずかしい] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ 彼はとにかく難しい人だ ⇨ He’s a really difficult person to deal with
☆ 難しい問題 ⇨ A difficult problem
☆ 難しい状況 ⇨ A difficult situation
険しい [(3)けわしい] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ 会社の前途は険しい ⇨ The path forward for the company looks very rough, difficult
難しい [(4)むつかしい] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ 彼女は気が難しい ⇨ She is difficult to please (☛ An alternative pronunciation of むずかしい)
難い [(2)かたい] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ それは想像に難くない ⇨ It is not hard to imagine (☛ Usually used in negative as 難くない)
難い [(2)がたい] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 彼のしたことはとても許し難い ⇨ What he did is difficult to forgive
☆ 本当だとは信じ難い ⇨ It’s hard to believe it’s true
世知辛い [(4)せちがらい] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ ああ、なんて世知辛い世の中だ ⇨ Uhh, what a cold, bitter, ruthless society this is (☛ Difficult to live due to lack of compassion)
► 形容動詞
大変 [たいへん] meaning: difficult rank: 1
☆ この仕事は思ったよりずっと大変だ ⇨ This work is much more difficult than I thought
☆ 一人で子供を三人育てるは大変だ ⇨ It is very difficult to raise three children all by yourself
困難 [(1)こんなん] [liter] meaning: difficult rank: 2
☆ この工事を年内に完了することは困難だ ⇨ It is difficult to complete this construction within this year
難解 [なんかい] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 相対性理論は難解だ ⇨ The theory of relativity is difficult to understand (☛ Difficult to understand)
偏屈 [へんくつ] meaning: difficult rank: 4
☆ 偏屈オヤジ ⇨ A difficult, grumpy, old man
► 連体詞
呆れた [あきれた] [coll] meaning: difficult rank: 3
☆ 彼は本当に呆れた人だ ⇨ He really is an impossible person (☛ Someone difficult to deal with, especially because of his/her lack of responsibility)