How to say "hurdle" in Japanese

• ハードルCommon
  nounThe loanword, covering the athletics hurdle and, by extension, a figurative challenge to be cleared; the image is a bar set at a certain height that must be got over.
• 難関なんかんCommon
  nounA figurative hurdle in the sense of a formidable barrier standing in the way, typically a demanding examination, selection, or stage that is hard to get past; it stresses how difficult the obstacle is.
  初はじめの一いち歩ほが唯一ゆいいつの難関なんかん。↗

  The first step is the hardest.
• 難渋なんじゅうCommon
  na-adjective, noun, suru verb, intransitive verbNot really a noun for a hurdle: it describes a state of difficulty or distress, as when negotiations stall and progress is slow, so it is seldom the word you want for 'hurdle'.
• 関門かんもんCommon
  nounA hurdle pictured as a gate or checkpoint that must be passed through, often one of several standing between one and a goal; it suits figurative trials to be cleared in succession.

Use 「ハードル」 for literal hurdles and figurative challenges to clear, 難関 and 関門 for major figurative barriers (難関 stressing sheer difficulty, 関門 a gate to pass through), while 難渋 describes struggling rather than naming a hurdle.

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

• ハードルhurdle
• 難関なんかんbarrier
• 難渋なんじゅうsuffering
• 障害物しょうがいぶつobstacle
• 関門かんもんhurdle