How to say "ordeal" in Japanese

• 試練しれんCommon
  nounCovers an ordeal as a trial or test of endurance, faith, or character. The nuance is of a challenge one must pass through, so it suits hardships framed as testing a person rather than merely causing them pain.
  彼かれは厳きびしい試練しれんを受うけた。↗

  He was subjected to severe trials.
• 苦杯くはいCommon
  nounCovers an ordeal as a bitter experience or bitter defeat — suffering one is forced to drink down. It is really about the bitterness of humiliation or loss, and is often a poor fit when the ordeal is simply a difficult trial.

Use 試練 for an ordeal understood as a trial or test that challenges or purifies someone, and 苦杯 when the emphasis is on suffering a bitter experience or defeat that one must swallow.

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

• 試練しれんtest
• 苦杯くはいbitter cup