Korean word

힘들다

Pronunciation

Romanizationhimdeulda

Meaning

  • adjectivehard

Example

요즘 일이 힘들어요.yo jeum i ri him deu reo yo

Work has been hard lately.

Illustration for 힘들다 (hard)

More examples

오늘 운동을 많이 해서 다리가 힘들다.o neul un dong eul ma ni hae seo ta ri ga him deul da

My legs are tired because I exercised a lot today.

Core concept

A task feels like a heavy load that takes real effort to finish.

Common phrases

  • 공부가 힘들다kong bu ga him deul da

    hard to study

  • 마음이 힘들다ma eu mi him deul da

    emotionally difficult

  • 버티기 힘들다peo ti gi him deul da

    hard to endure

Similar words

어렵다eoryeoptta: A lesson can be hard to understand when the needed skill takes time to learn.
피곤하다pigonhada: A person can have little energy left for daily activities after a demanding day.
고되다kodoeda: Long hours of demanding work can wear out the body and mind.

Definition in Korean

어떤 일이나 과제가 쉽지 않아 많은 노력이나 시간이 들어서 해내기 어려운 상태eo tteon i ri na kwa je ga swip jji a na ma neun no ryeo gi na si ga ni teu reo seo hae nae gi eo ryeo un sang tae

Word origin

The word grew from the native Korean ideas of strength and burden, connecting a difficult task with the strength it takes to handle it.

Usage tips

  • For children, it works for homework, chores, sports, or a long day, making it useful for talking about something that takes more energy than expected.

Other meanings

  • tiringadjective

Opposites

  • 수월하다suwolhadaeasyadjective

Related words

Word lists with this word