What does 苦しい mean?
苦しい is a Japanese adjective meaning “tough; physically strenuous” in English. It can also be translated as “distressing, straitened (circumstances), strained (interpretation, explanation, etc.)” depending on context. It is written as 苦しい in kanji, くるしい in hiragana, and kurushii in romaji. This word is part of JLPT N3 vocabulary.
Example sentences
苦しい、やめろ。
It's so painful. Stop it!
彼は過去の苦しい生活を黙想した。
He meditated on his past life of suffering.
彼の家族はかなり生活が苦しい。
His family is rather badly off.