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Vocabulary

What does 辛い (つらい, tsurai) mean?

辛い (つらい, tsurai) means painful, hard, tough.

Quick facts
Readingつらい
Romajitsurai
Part of speechi-adjective
Level (estimated, JLPT framework)N3
つらい
N3 · estimated, JLPT frameworkCommontsurai

painful, hard, tough

  1. 1i-adjective painful; bitter; heart-breaking
  2. 2i-adjective tough; difficult; hard (usu. of situations)
  3. 3i-adjective cruel; harsh; cold

Example sentences

  • Even if practice is tough, I'll keep going.

  • Parting with friends is painful.

Kanji in this word

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Data sources and licences

Entries, readings and English glosses: JMdict — Electronic Dictionary Research and Development Group (EDRDG), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and their translations written by GoMe.

Voice: VOICEVOX Nemo.

N5–N1 levels on this page are estimates based on the JLPT framework, drawn from community benchmarks. GoMe Nihongo is not affiliated with the Japan Foundation or JEES, which administer the JLPT.