Translation guide
Describes tasks or processes that require a lot of effort, time, or hard work. Japanese expresses this through adjectives, verbs, and set phrases that emphasize difficulty, time consumption, or painstaking effort.
To describe a task, process, or activity that is physically or mentally demanding and takes a lot of hard work.
An idiomatic expression literally meaning 'bones break,' used to describe something that is very laborious or backbreaking. Common in everyday speech.
この仕事は本当に骨が折れる。
This job is really laborious.
A versatile adjective meaning 'tough,' 'hard,' or 'terrible.' Often used to describe laborious tasks or situations. Very common in spoken Japanese.
引っ越しは大変だった。
Moving was laborious.
Literally 'takes time and effort.' Used for tasks that are laborious because they require many steps or careful attention.
この料理は手間がかかる。
This dish is laborious to make.
A formal, written expression meaning 'requires labor/effort.' Used in technical or official contexts.
このプロジェクトは多大な労力を要する。
This project is highly laborious.
To describe a process, writing, or movement that is labored, slow, and clearly requires a lot of effort, often with a negative connotation of being clumsy or unnatural.
Means 'awkward,' 'clumsy,' or 'labored.' Used for movements, speech, or writing that lack smoothness due to excessive effort.
彼の英語はぎこちない。
His English is laborious.
Literally 'traces of hard work are visible.' Used to describe something that clearly took a lot of laborious effort, often in a slightly negative sense.
その作文には苦心の跡が見える。
The essay shows signs of laborious effort.
To describe a task that is laborious because it requires meticulous attention to detail, often over a long period.
Means 'requires patience/perseverance.' Used for laborious tasks that demand sustained mental effort and attention to detail.
データ入力は根気がいる仕事だ。
Data entry is a laborious task.
An adjective meaning 'steady,' 'painstaking,' or 'down-to-earth.' Describes laborious work that is done step by step without shortcuts.
地道な努力が必要だ。
Laborious effort is necessary.
Means 'meticulous,' 'elaborate,' or 'painstaking.' Often used for laborious work that requires careful attention, like craftsmanship or research.
彼は丹念な調査を行った。
He conducted a laborious investigation.
骨が折れる emphasizes physical or mental strain, like backbreaking work. 大変 is a general intensifier for anything tough or terrible. 手間がかかる focuses on the time and number of steps involved, not necessarily physical difficulty.
The English word 'laborious' is often translated directly as 勤勉な (diligent) or 努力の (effortful), but these do not convey the sense of a task being difficult and tiring. Use the expressions above for natural Japanese.
Describes speech, reading, or writing that is halting, faltering, and laborious, often due to lack of skill.
彼の日本語はまだたどたどしい。
His Japanese is still laborious.