Korean word

곤란

Pronunciation

Romanizationkollan

Meaning

  • noundifficulty

Example

그는 큰 곤란을 겪고 있다.keu neun keun kol la neul kyeok kko it tta

He is experiencing great difficulty.

Illustration for 곤란 (difficulty)

More examples

서류 미비로 곤란에 처했다.seo ryu mi bi ro kol la ne cheo haet tta

He found himself in difficulty because of incomplete documents.

Core concept

Being stuck in a situation that is hard to handle or solve.

Common phrases

  • 곤란에 처하다kol la ne cheo ha da

    be in difficulty

  • 곤란을 피하다kol la neul pi ha da

    avoid difficulty

  • 곤란을 초래하다kol la neul cho rae ha da

    cause difficulty

Similar words

난처nancheo: An awkward situation that makes the right response unclear.
어려움eoryeoum: A difficulty caused by a problem or barrier during an activity.
곤경kongyeong: A dire situation that is hard to escape.
난관nangwan: A challenging obstacle that stands in the way of a plan.

Definition in Korean

처리하거나 해결하기 어려운 상태나 상황을 가리키는 명사.cheo ri ha geo na hae gyeol ha gi eo ryeo un sang tae na sang hwang eul ka ri ki neun myeong sa

Word origin

The Sino-Korean compound combines elements associated with being in trouble and with difficulty, together describing a situation that is hard to overcome.

Usage tips

  • In Korean conversation, describing a request as difficult can function as a gentle refusal, so the word carries a useful politeness signal in context.

Other meanings

  • predicamentadjective

Opposites

  • 용이yongieasenoun

Related words

Word lists with this word