- Basic forms
- 苦しむ — to suffer; to struggle; to be in pain / base form
- 苦しみます — (I) suffer; struggle / masu form
- 苦しんだ — suffered; struggled / ta form
- 苦しんで — suffering and …; struggling and … / te-form
- 苦しまない — do not suffer / negative form
- 苦しめば — if (someone) suffers / conditional
- 苦しめ・苦しみなさい — suffer!; endure it! / imperative
- Other common forms
- 苦しみたい — want to suffer (metaphorical) / 〜たい form
- 苦しめる — to cause suffering (transitive) / related form
- 苦しめられる — be made to suffer / passive
- More
- 苦しもう — let’s endure; let’s struggle on / 〜よう form
- 苦しんでいる — is suffering; is having a hard time / progressive
- 苦しまなかった — did not suffer / past negative
苦しむ(くるしむ) is a godan verb ending in む. Stem alternates as む → み → ん, giving 苦しむ・苦しみます・苦しんで・苦しんだ. Its transitive counterpart is 苦しめる — “to cause someone to suffer.”
- 苦しい — painful; difficult
- 苦い — bitter
- 苦労 — hardship; trouble
- 苦痛 — pain; suffering
- 苦手 — weak point; dislike
- 苦情 — complaint
- 四苦八苦 — struggling desperately; in great distress
苦 combines 艹 (grass) with 古 (old). Originally referring to bitter-tasting herbs, it evolved to represent emotional pain or difficulty as well. It conveys bitterness both in taste and life experience.
