苦しい

Japanese

Etymology
Kanji in this term
苦
くる
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. First cited to the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE,[1] and likely extant earlier as the intransitive verb 苦しむ (kurushimu, “to suffer, to be stressed out”) was first cited to the Kojiki of 712 CE.[1]

Analyzable as a compound of bound morpheme ⟨kuru-⟩ (indicates stress or temper) +‎ ⟨-si⟩ (adjectivizing suffix, gives object the possession of the adjective's quality), ultimately from Proto-Japonic *kuru. Compare 狂う (kuruu, “to be mad, to get angry”).[2] Compare also Miyako 苦 (guri) against Miyako 悲す (kanasu, Japanese 悲しい (kanashii, “sad”)).

The modern form kurushii is derived from the 連体形 (rentaikei, “attributive form”) of Early Middle Japanese adjective 苦し (kurushi), with the medial /-k-/ falling out.

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) くるし​い [kùrúshíꜜì] (Nakadaka – [3])
  • IPA(key): [kɯ̟ᵝɾɯ̟ᵝɕii]
  • Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of "苦しい"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Continuative (連用形) 苦しく くる​しく
くるし​く		 [kùrúꜜshìkù]
[kùrúshíꜜkù]
Terminal (終止形) 苦しい くるし​い [kùrúshíꜜì]
Attributive (連体形) 苦しい くるし​い [kùrúshíꜜì]
Key constructions
Informal negative 苦しくない くる​しくない
くるし​くない		 [kùrúꜜshìkùnàì]
[kùrúshíꜜkùnàì]
Informal past 苦しかった くる​しかった
くるし​かった		 [kùrúꜜshìkàttà]
[kùrúshíꜜkàttà]
Informal negative past 苦しくなかった くる​しくなかった
くるし​くなかった		 [kùrúꜜshìkùnàkàttà]
[kùrúshíꜜkùnàkàttà]
Formal 苦しいです くるし​いです [kùrúshíꜜìdèsù]
Conjunctive 苦しくて くる​しくて
くるし​くて		 [kùrúꜜshìkùtè]
[kùrúshíꜜkùtè]
Conditional 苦しければ くる​しければ
くるし​ければ		 [kùrúꜜshìkèrèbà]
[kùrúshíꜜkèrèbà]

Adjective

苦(くる)しい • (kurushii) -i (adverbial 苦(くる)しく (kurushiku))

  1. physically painful, agonizing
    • 1999 October 15, Rumiko Takahashi, “地(じ)念(ねん)児(じ) [Jinenji]”, in [犬](いぬ)[夜](や)[叉](しゃ) ([犬](いぬ)[夜](や)[叉](しゃ)) [Inuyasha], volume 12 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 62:
      雲母(きらら)…苦(くる)しいの？
      Kirara… Kurushii no?
      Kirara… Does it still hurt?
  2. difficult, strenuous, mentally trying
  3. mentally agonizing
    会(あ)えないなんて苦(くる)しいよ
    aenai nante kurushii yo
    Being unable to be by your side is painful.
  4. tight (budget etc.), straitened
  5. forced

Inflection
Inflection of 苦しい
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 苦しかろ くるしかろ kurushikaro
Continuative (連用形) 苦しく くるしく kurushiku
Terminal (終止形) 苦しい くるしい kurushii
Attributive (連体形) 苦しい くるしい kurushii
Hypothetical (仮定形) 苦しけれ くるしけれ kurushikere
Imperative (命令形) 苦しかれ くるしかれ kurushikare
Key constructions
Informal negative 苦しくない くるしくない kurushiku nai
Informal past 苦しかった くるしかった kurushikatta
Informal negative past 苦しくなかった くるしくなかった kurushiku nakatta
Formal 苦しいです くるしいです kurushii desu
Formal negative 苦しくないです くるしくないです kurushiku nai desu
Formal past 苦しかったです くるしかったです kurushikatta desu
Formal negative past 苦しくなかったです くるしくなかったです kurushiku nakatta desu
Conjunctive 苦しくて くるしくて kurushikute
Conditional 苦しければ くるしければ kurushikereba
Provisional 苦しかったら くるしかったら kurushikattara
Volitional 苦しかろう くるしかろう kurushikarō
Adverbial 苦しく くるしく kurushiku
Degree 苦しさ くるしさ kurushisa

References
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
  1. “苦”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. Martin, Samuel E. (1987) The Japanese Language Through Time, New Haven, London: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 833
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