Japanese

しむ

くるしむ
Meaning: to suffer; to be in pain; to struggle
Part of Speech: Verb

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Verb inflections

Form Affirmative Negative
Present 苦しむ 苦しまない
Polite 苦しみます 苦しみません
Past 苦しんだ 苦しまなかった
Polite + Past 苦しみました 苦しみませんでした
Te-form 苦しんで 苦しまなくて
Potential 苦しめる 苦しめない
Passive 苦しまれる 苦しまれない
Causative 苦しませる 苦しませない
Causative + Passive 苦しまされる 苦しまされない
Imperative 苦しめ 苦しむな

Handwriting

苦
し
む

Example sentences

He has been suffering from lower back pain for many years.
彼は貧困に苦しむ人々を助けるために活動している。
He is working to help people suffering from poverty.
現実と理想との乖離に苦しむ
To suffer from the divergence between reality and ideals.
多くの人々が飢餓に苦しんでいる。
Many people are suffering from starvation.
悪徳業者が跋扈している社会では、善良な人々が苦しむ。
In a society where unscrupulous businesses are rampant, good people suffer.
彼は仕事と家庭の板挟みで苦しんでいた。
He was suffering, caught between work and family.
昨夜、腹痛と下痢に苦しんだ
Last night, I suffered from stomach pain and diarrhea.
政府は窮状に苦しむ人々を援助した
The government aided the people suffering from the plight.
彼は人種差別的な蔑視に苦しんだ。
He suffered from racial discrimination and contempt.
弟は子供の頃から喘息に苦しんでいる
My younger brother has been suffering from asthma since he was a child.

Usage Notes

Describes experiencing physical or mental pain, or struggling with difficult circumstances like poverty or hard decisions.

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