苦労（くろう、kurou）
- hardship

The Japanese word 苦労苦労 (くろう) means hardship, trouble, difficulty, or labor. It refers to the effort and struggle involved in doing something. It encompasses both the physical and mental challenges one faces while pursuing a goal or dealing with a situation. 苦労苦労 often implies perseverance and overcoming obstacles. It can also describe the worries and anxieties associated with a particular situation. It's a key word reflecting the value of effort and resilience in Japanese culture.

⚫︎仕事で苦労する。 Translation: I struggle at work. ⚫︎子供を育てるのは苦労が多い。 Translation: Raising children involves a lot of hardship. ⚫︎今回のプロジェクトは苦労したが、成功した。 Translation: Although this project was difficult, it was successful.

⚫︎You can use 苦労苦労 to describe the difficulties someone faces. ⚫︎It is used to express empathy for someone's challenges. ⚫︎It is often used when talking about the effort involved in achieving a goal. ⚫︎It can also be used to show gratitude for someone's efforts. For example, "Thank you for all your 苦労苦労." (ご苦労様でした。/ お疲れ様でした。)

⚫︎The word is typically written in kanji as 苦労苦労. ⚫︎The reading is くろう in hiragana. ⚫︎There are no variations in the okurigana (the suffix hiragana). ⚫︎You may encounter 苦労苦労 in formal and informal contexts.

⚫︎困難(こんなん) - Difficulty, hardship ⚫︎大変(たいへん) - Tough, difficult (can also mean "very") ⚫︎苦しみ(くるしみ) - Suffering, distress ⚫︎労苦(ろうく) - Hardship, toil (more formal) ⚫︎骨折り(ほねおり) - Effort, trouble

⚫︎楽(らく) - Ease, comfort ⚫︎容易(ようい) - Easy, simple ⚫︎安楽(あんらく) - Comfort, ease

彼は長年の苦労の末に、夢を実現した。 ・Translation: After many years of hardship, he realized his dream. ・Explanation: This sentence highlights the long-term struggle and effort required to achieve a goal.

今回のプロジェクトは多くの苦労があったが、チーム一丸となって乗り越えた。 ・Translation: This project had many hardships, but the team overcame them together. ・Explanation: This sentence demonstrates teamwork and resilience in the face of difficulties, using 苦労苦労 to emphasize the challenges.

苦 (く - ku) means "suffering" or "pain," and 労 (ろう - rou) means "labor" or "effort." Therefore, 苦労苦労 directly reflects the meaning of difficulty through effort.