Japanese word

地獄

Pronunciation

Romajijigoku

Meaning

  • nounhell

Example

この暑さは地獄です。ko no atsu sa wa ji goku de su

This heat is hell.

Illustration for 地獄 (hell)

More examples

長時間の残業で、彼は地獄を見ました。chō ji kan no zan gyō de kare wa ji goku o mi ma shi ta

He went through hell because of the long hours of overtime.

Core concept

It presents suffering as a place of punishment, so it can name both a religious afterlife and an extremely painful situation.

Common phrases

  • 地獄に落ちるji goku ni o chi ru

    fall into hell

  • 地獄を見るji goku o mi ru

    go through hell

  • 地獄から抜け出すji goku ka ra nu ke da su

    escape from hell

Definition in Japanese

死後に罪人が苦しみを受ける場所、また、非常に苦しく耐えがたい状態。shi go ni zai nin ga kuru shi mi o u ke ru ba sho ma ta hi jō ni kuru shi ku ta e ga ta i jō tai

Word origin

地獄 (jigoku) is the Sino-Japanese form of a Buddhist term that combines 地 (ji, "earth") with 獄 (goku, "prison") for a realm of punishment after death.

Usage tips

  • Japanese uses 地獄 (jigoku) in vivid compounds such as 地獄の忙しさ (jigoku no isogashisa), which describes an unbearably busy period.

Opposites

Word lists with this word