Translation guide
The English word 'struggle' covers physical fighting, mental effort, and ongoing hardship. Japanese uses different words for each nuance.
To fight or wrestle with someone physically, often with effort and resistance.
To struggle physically, flail, or thrash about, often when restrained or in water.
彼は水中でもがいた。
He struggled in the water.
To grapple or fight hand-to-hand; implies a physical contest.
犯人は警官と格闘した。
The criminal struggled with the police officer.
To scuffle or tussle; a rough, informal physical fight.
子供たちが取っ組み合いをしていた。
The kids were struggling with each other.
To try hard to do something difficult, often with frustration or difficulty.
To have a hard time, toil, or go through hardship; emphasizes the difficulty and effort.
彼は英語の勉強に苦労している。
He is struggling with his English studies.
To struggle hard, fight bravely; often used for striving against odds.
彼女は病気と奮闘している。
She is struggling against illness.
To have a desperate struggle; a stronger, more dramatic expression.
彼は難問に悪戦苦闘した。
He struggled desperately with the difficult problem.
To experience continuous difficulty, often in life or a situation.
To suffer, be in pain, or have a hard time; can be physical or emotional.
彼は貧困に苦しんでいる。
He is struggling with poverty.
To have difficulties; a more formal way to describe ongoing struggles.
その会社は資金繰りに困難を抱えている。
The company is struggling with cash flow.
To be in dire distress; literally 'four sufferings, eight pains', a Buddhist term used for extreme struggle.
彼は借金で四苦八苦している。
He is struggling terribly with debt.
To move forward or progress while encountering resistance or obstacles.
To have a difficult voyage; metaphorically, to face rough going in a project or plan.
交渉は難航している。
The negotiations are struggling.
To paw the ground, struggle, or flounder; implies desperate, often futile effort.
彼は泥沼で足掻いた。
He struggled in the mud.
苦労する focuses on the effort and hardship of doing something, while 苦しむ emphasizes the suffering or pain experienced. Use 苦労する for 'struggling with a task' and 苦しむ for 'struggling with a condition or emotion'.
The English 'struggle' is often used lightly ('I struggle with math'), but direct translations like もがく can sound overly dramatic. Choose the verb that matches the intensity and type of difficulty.