How to say "dilemma" in Japanese

• 窮地きゅうちCommon
  nounCovers the predicament sense of 'dilemma': being cornered in a tight spot, as when a team or company is driven to the wall. It stresses the trapped position rather than a choice between options.
  その大臣だいじんは不正ふせい取引とりひきによって窮地きゅうちに立たちました。↗

  The minister was in a fix over illegal dealings.
• ジレンマCommon
  nounThe loanword for the classic sense of 'dilemma': being torn between two or more options with serious drawbacks, as in choosing between career and family. Use it when the difficulty lies in the decision itself.
• 苦境くきょうCommon
  nounCovers the 'difficult situation, adverse circumstances' side of 'dilemma': a state of hardship someone is suffering through, such as a firm fallen on hard times. It does not by itself suggest a choice between alternatives.
  苦境くきょうにあるとき助たすけになるものだ。↗

  It helps us in times of difficulty.

Use 「ジレンマ」 when 'dilemma' means a hard choice between unattractive options; use 窮地 for being cornered in a tight spot, and 苦境 for a difficult situation or adverse circumstances generally.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 窮地きゅうちdilemma
• ジレンマdilemma
• 苦境くきょうdifficult situation
• 困却こんきゃくperplexity
• 死地しちdilemma