How to say "torment" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 苦しめるくるしめるichidan verb, transitive verbThe general verb for tormenting someone: to make a person suffer, whether through physical pain or mental anguish. Use this for 'torment someone' in most contexts.
- ichidan verb, transitive verbTorment as bullying: to ill-treat, pick on, or make life miserable for someone weaker, as with a classmate or coworker being bullied. Usually written in kana alone.
- 悩ますなやますgodan verb, transitive verbTorment of the mind: to afflict, harass, or plague someone with worry or anguish. Typical subjects are regrets, doubts, or a persistent problem that keeps tormenting a person.
- 苦痛くつうnounA noun, not a verb: torment in the sense of agony or suffering itself rather than the act of tormenting. To say that someone torments another person, use a verb.苦痛で彼の顔が歪んでいる。↗His face is distorted by pain.
- 責めせめnounA noun for torture or torment — the act of inflicting suffering on someone. It is seldom the word you want for the verb 'torment'; use 苦しめる or 悩ます instead.
Choose 「苦しめる」 for tormenting someone physically or mentally, 「悩ます」 for torment of the mind, 「いじめる」 for bullying, 苦痛 when torment is a noun meaning suffering, and 「責め」 for torture or the act of tormenting.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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