気苦労|きぐろうkigurou[2]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Definitions
- noun, na-adjective, suru verb, intransitive verbworry; care; anxiety; mental exhaustion
Conjugation
| Dictionary form | 気苦労する（きぐろうする） |
|---|---|
| Polite (masu) | 気苦労します（きぐろうします） |
| Negative (nai) | 気苦労しない（きぐろうしない） |
| polite (masen) | 気苦労しません（きぐろうしません） |
| classical zu / nu | 気苦労せず・気苦労せぬ（きぐろうせず・きぐろうせぬ） |
| Past (ta) | 気苦労した（きぐろうした） |
| polite (mashita) | 気苦労しました（きぐろうしました） |
| Past negative (nakatta) | 気苦労しなかった（きぐろうしなかった） |
| polite (masen deshita) | 気苦労しませんでした（きぐろうしませんでした） |
| Te form | 気苦労して（きぐろうして） |
| Potential | 気苦労できる（きぐろうできる） |
| Passive | 気苦労される（きぐろうされる） |
| Causative | 気苦労させる（きぐろうさせる） |
| Causative passive | 気苦労させられる（きぐろうさせられる） |
| Conditional (ba) | 気苦労すれば（きぐろうすれば） |
| tara | 気苦労したら（きぐろうしたら） |
| Volitional | 気苦労しよう（きぐろうしよう） |
| polite (mashou) | 気苦労しましょう（きぐろうしましょう） |
| Imperative | 気苦労しろ（きぐろうしろ） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym気がかりきがかりNeutralA matter that weighs on your mind; stresses worry you cannot put down, as in 「気がかりなこと」, without the nuance of being worn out.
- Synonym懸念けねんWrittenWritten word for concern about how a future situation may turn out; common in news reports and official statements.
- Synonym心配しんぱいNeutralThe most common everyday word for worrying that something might go wrong; also covers caring for someone, but has no nuance of exhausting toil.
- Synonym憂慮ゆうりょWrittenWritten word for deep concern over a grave situation, as in 「事態を憂慮する」.
- Synonym気遣いきづかいNeutralConsideration and concern for others; the stress is on thoughtful care with their benefit in mind, so it leans toward positive attentiveness rather than draining worry.
- Synonym心労しんろうWrittenWritten word for the mental fatigue that constant worrying brings; the closest synonym to 「気苦労」.
- Synonym物案じものあんじWrittenRare, written word for fretting that something bad may happen.
- Related心配りこころくばりNeutralAttentive, meticulous care; stresses looking closely after people's needs — a positive act, not worry.
- Related不安ふあんNeutralEveryday word for anxiety and unease; stresses the restless, unsettled feeling rather than wearing yourself out with cares.
- Related心遣いこころづかいNeutralThoughtfulness for others; considerate attention to how things go for them — positive, not worry.
- Related憂いうれいWrittenWritten word for sorrow and gloomy worry about what the future may hold.
- RelatedおそれNeutralFear, or the possibility that something bad may happen, as in 「〜の恐れがある」.
- Related憂い事うれいごとWrittenRare, written word for painful, heartbreaking events that weigh on the heart.
- Related憂えうれえWrittenRare, written word for grief and lamentation, stressing sorrowful anguish.
- Related苦悶くもんWrittenWritten word for anguish — suffering so intense that one writhes.
- Related不安心ふあんしんWrittenWritten word for an unsettled mind that cannot relax for fear something bad may happen.
- Related憂心ゆうしんWrittenRare, written word for a sorrowful, grieving heart.
- Related物思いものおもいNeutralReverie or brooding — being lost in one's cares, as in 「物思いにふける」; no sense of exhaustion.
- Related憂虞ゆうぐFormalFormal, rare word for fear and dread that something bad will happen.
- Related鬼胎きたいWrittenRare, written word for worry kept hidden in one's heart; also a medical term for hydatidiform mole.
- Antonym気楽きらくNeutralThe opposite of 「気苦労」: carefree and at ease, with no wearing cares.
- Antonym安心あんしんNeutralThe opposite of 「気苦労」: peace of mind — feeling settled and secure instead of worrying yourself tired.
- Antonym無頓着むとんちゃくNeutralThe opposite of 「気苦労」: indifference — not caring at all, where 「気苦労」 is fretting over everything.
Use 「気苦労」 for worry that mentally wears you out, as in 「気苦労が絶えない」 — cares that arise from looking after others, work, or family. For everyday worry choose 「心配」; for something that keeps weighing on your mind, 「気がかり」; in written prose, 「心労」. 気遣い, 心遣い and 心配り lean toward caring thoughtfulness for others rather than draining worry; 懸念, 憂慮 and 恐れ express concern over what may happen; words like 憂い and 憂心 are written prose for sorrow; 気楽, 安心 and 無頓着 are the carefree opposites.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
See also
