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Hardship, trouble, or difficulty experienced in life or work.
このプロジェクトは多くの苦労を伴った。
This project involved a lot of trouble.
Often used to describe the challenges one goes through to achieve something.
Effort or labor put into something.
彼の苦労が報われた。
His efforts were rewarded.
Can be used to acknowledge someone's hard work.
When acknowledging someone's hard work, use '苦労さん' or 'お疲れ様です' for politeness.
The tone can change based on context—positive when praising effort, negative when complaining.
Composed of '苦' (suffering, pain) and '労' (labor, work).
Can be used both positively (acknowledging effort) and negatively (complaining about hardship).