努力 vs. 苦労: The Difference Between Making an Effort and Experiencing Hardship

Introduction

The Japanese sentences 「日本語を勉強するために努力しています」 and 「日本語の勉強で苦労しています」 both describe something that is not easy.

• 日本語を勉強するために努力しています。

• I am working hard to study Japanese.

• 日本語の勉強で苦労しています。

• I am having a difficult time studying Japanese.

Although these two expressions may seem similar, they do not mean the same thing.

努力 (doryoku / effort) describes the action of actively working toward a goal. In contrast, 苦労 (kurō / hardship) describes the difficult or stressful experience caused by a challenging situation.

Understanding this difference will help you speak more naturally and choose the correct answer in JLPT vocabulary and reading questions.

The Basic Difference

努力 (doryoku / effort) means actively working hard to achieve a goal.

苦労 (kurō / hardship) means going through difficulty or having a hard experience.

A simple way to remember the difference is:

• 努力: the action of working toward a goal
• 苦労: the experience of dealing with difficulty

In other words, 努力 focuses on what a person does, while 苦労 focuses on how difficult the experience is.

Understanding 努力

What Does 努力 Mean?

努力 (doryoku / effort) means using your energy, time, and ability to achieve a particular goal.

It usually suggests that a person wants to improve, succeed, or accomplish something and is taking action voluntarily.

For example, learning vocabulary every day, practicing repeatedly, or continuing to study after making mistakes can all be described as 努力.

The word often has a positive and active image. Even when the final result is not successful, the action can still be called 努力 if the person seriously worked toward the goal.

Common expressions include:

• 努力する
  to make an effort

• 努力を続ける
  to continue making an effort

• 努力を重ねる
  to make repeated efforts

• 努力が実る
  one’s efforts bear fruit

• 努力が報われる
  one’s efforts are rewarded

• 努力が必要だ
  effort is necessary

Understanding 苦労

What Does 苦労 Mean?

苦労 (kurō / hardship) means having a difficult, stressful, or troublesome experience because of a challenging situation.

Unlike 努力, it does not mainly describe a voluntary action. It focuses more on the trouble or difficulty a person has to deal with.

For example, when you first begin living in another country, you may be unable to communicate well, complete official procedures, or understand local customs. These difficult experiences can be described as 苦労.

Although 苦労 often has a negative meaning, it can also describe an important experience that eventually leads to personal growth or success.

Common expressions include:

• 苦労する
  to have a hard time

• 苦労を重ねる
  to go through repeated hardships

• 苦労が多い
  to experience many difficulties

• 苦労が絶えない
  to have constant troubles

• 苦労を乗り越える
  to overcome hardship

• 人に苦労をかける
  to cause someone trouble or hardship

• 苦労の末に成功する
  to succeed after many difficulties

When to Use 努力 and 苦労

Use 努力 for Actions Directed Toward a Goal

Use 努力 when talking about actions taken to pass an exam, improve a skill, succeed at work, or achieve another goal.

For example, if you solve practice questions every day to pass the JLPT, you can say that you are making an effort.

日本語が上手になるために努力しています。
I am working hard to improve my Japanese.

売り上げを増やすために、会社全体で努力しています。
The entire company is making an effort to increase sales.

目標を達成するには、毎日の努力が必要です。
Daily effort is necessary to achieve your goal.

In these sentences, the main point is that someone is actively working toward an objective.

Use 苦労 for Difficult Experiences

Use 苦労 when talking about difficulties caused by unfamiliar environments, financial problems, work, relationships, complicated tasks, or other challenging situations.

外国で仕事を見つけるのに苦労しました。
I had a hard time finding a job in a foreign country.

子どものころ、家が貧しくて苦労しました。
I experienced hardship because my family was poor when I was a child.

新しいシステムの使い方を覚えるのに苦労しています。
I am having difficulty learning how to use the new system.

In these examples, the focus is not simply on working hard. The focus is on the difficulty of the situation.

努力 in Business Japanese

In business situations, 努力 is frequently used to describe a company’s or organization’s commitment to improvement and problem-solving.

品質の改善に努力します。
We will work to improve quality.

お客様に満足していただけるよう、努力してまいります。
We will continue making every effort to ensure customer satisfaction.

問題の解決に向けて、最大限の努力をします。
We will make every possible effort to resolve the problem.

苦労 is more commonly used when describing an individual’s difficulties or past experiences. It is not usually used to express a company’s official policy or commitment.

Examples with 努力

Example 1

日本語が話せるようになるために、毎日会話の練習をしています。
I practice conversation every day so that I can learn to speak Japanese.

This describes continuous action toward the goal of being able to speak Japanese. The daily practice is a form of 努力.

Example 2

彼は長年の努力によって、ついに自分の会社を設立しました。
Through many years of effort, he finally established his own company.

This sentence shows that he continued working hard for a long time before achieving success.

Example 3

一生懸命努力しましたが、今回は試験に合格できませんでした。
I worked very hard, but I was unable to pass the exam this time.

努力 does not always guarantee success. Even if the desired result is not achieved, serious work toward the goal can still be called 努力.

Example 4

彼女の努力が実り、大会で優勝することができました。
Her efforts bore fruit, and she was able to win the competition.

The expression 努力が実る (doryoku ga minoru / one’s efforts bear fruit) means that continued effort finally produces a good result.

Examples with 苦労

Example 1

日本に来たばかりのころは、漢字が読めなくて苦労しました。
When I had just arrived in Japan, I had a hard time because I could not read kanji.

This sentence describes a difficult experience in daily life caused by not being able to read kanji.

Example 2

この資料を集めるのに、とても苦労しました。
I had a very hard time collecting these materials.

The materials may have been difficult to find, or collecting them may have required a great deal of time and trouble.

Example 3

両親は苦労しながら、三人の子どもを育てました。
My parents raised three children while going through many difficulties.

This describes raising children despite financial, practical, or personal challenges.

Example 4

何度も失敗しましたが、苦労の末に新しい商品を完成させました。
We failed many times, but after a great deal of hardship, we finally completed the new product.

The expression 苦労の末に (kurō no sue ni / after many difficulties) means that a result was finally achieved after a long and difficult process.

Using 努力 and 苦労 in the Same Situation

Both words can be used when describing the same period or experience, but they focus on different aspects.

彼は慣れない外国生活で多くの苦労をしましたが、努力を続け、資格試験に合格しました。
He experienced many difficulties while adjusting to life in a foreign country, but he continued making an effort and passed the qualification exam.

In this sentence, 苦労 describes the difficult experiences of living abroad.

努力 describes the actions he continued taking to pass the exam.

Even when the situation is the same, the correct word depends on what you want to emphasize.

Common Mistakes

Do Not Use 苦労 When You Only Mean “Work Hard”

Consider the following sentence:

JLPTに合格するために、毎日苦労しています。
I have a hard time every day in order to pass the JLPT.

This sentence is not completely grammatically incorrect, but it sounds as though the speaker is suffering or struggling with the study process.

When you want to express positive, active work toward passing the test, 努力 is more natural.

JLPTに合格するために、毎日努力しています。
I work hard every day in order to pass the JLPT.

Using 苦労しています emphasizes the difficulty.

Using 努力しています emphasizes the active and purposeful action.

Do Not Say 努力をかける

The following sentence is unnatural:

両親に努力をかけました。
I caused my parents effort.

When you mean that you caused someone worry, difficulty, or hardship, use 苦労をかける.

両親に苦労をかけました。
I caused my parents a great deal of trouble.

苦労をかける (kurō o kakeru / to cause someone hardship) is a fixed and commonly used expression.

苦労が実る Is Not Normally Used

The verb 実る (minoru / to bear fruit) is commonly used with 努力.

• 努力が実る
  one’s efforts bear fruit

• 努力が報われる
  one’s efforts are rewarded

When describing the result of hardship, the following expressions are more natural:

• 苦労の末に成功する
  to succeed after many difficulties

• 苦労が報われる
  one’s hardship is rewarded

• 苦労したかいがある
  the hardship was worthwhile

苦労が報われる is natural, but 苦労が実る is generally not used.

努力 Alone Does Not Describe a Difficult Life Experience

Consider this sentence:

子どものころ、家が貧しくて努力しました。
When I was a child, my family was poor, so I made an effort.

This sentence does not clearly explain what goal the speaker was working toward.

When you want to describe the difficult experience caused by poverty, 苦労 is the natural choice.

子どものころ、家が貧しくて苦労しました。
When I was a child, I experienced hardship because my family was poor.

How to Distinguish 努力 and 苦労 on the JLPT

When you are unsure whether to choose 努力 or 苦労 in a JLPT vocabulary question, ask yourself whether the sentence focuses on an action or an experience.

Choose 努力 When the Context Includes a Goal or Achievement

The following words and ideas often appear with 努力:

• 目標
  goal

• 合格
  passing an exam

• 成功
  success

• 上達
  improvement

• 改善
  improvement or reform

• 練習
  practice

• 続ける
  to continue

• 実る
  to bear fruit

• 報われる
  to be rewarded

Example:

夢を実現するために、長い間＿＿を続けてきた。
I have continued ______ for a long time in order to make my dream come true.

The sentence describes continued action toward a dream, so 努力 is the correct choice.

夢を実現するために、長い間努力を続けてきた。
I have continued making an effort for a long time in order to make my dream come true.

Choose 苦労 When the Context Includes Difficulty or Trouble

The following ideas often appear with 苦労:

• 慣れない環境
  an unfamiliar environment

• 貧しい生活
  a life of poverty

• 難しい問題
  a difficult problem

• 言葉が通じない
  being unable to communicate

• なかなか見つからない
  being unable to find something easily

• 大変な経験
  a difficult experience

• 乗り越える
  to overcome

• 末に
  after a long process

• 人に負担をかける
  to place a burden on someone

Example:

留学したばかりのころは、言葉が通じず、買い物にも＿＿した。
When I had just begun studying abroad, I could not communicate and even had difficulty shopping.

The sentence focuses on the difficulty caused by a language barrier, so 苦労 is correct.

留学したばかりのころは、言葉が通じず、買い物にも苦労した。
When I had just begun studying abroad, I could not communicate and even had difficulty shopping.

Do Not Decide Based Only on する

Both 努力する and 苦労する are common expressions.

Therefore, seeing the verb する is not enough to determine the answer. Read the entire sentence and decide which idea is more important:

• Is the person actively working toward a goal?
• Is the person experiencing difficulty because of a challenging situation?

When you are unsure, try replacing the word mentally:

• If “make an effort” fits, choose 努力.
• If “have a hard time” fits, choose 苦労.

Summary

Although 努力 and 苦労 are both connected with situations that are not easy, they focus on different things.

• 努力 is active work toward a goal.
• 苦労 is the difficult experience caused by a challenging situation.

合格するために努力する。
To make an effort in order to pass an exam.

勉強方法が分からなくて苦労する。
To have a hard time because you do not know how to study.

On the JLPT, it is not enough to memorize a simple translation of each word. You also need to notice the words that commonly appear with it and understand what the sentence is emphasizing.

RJT, or Rapid Japanese Training, helps you develop this judgment through practical JLPT-style questions. By regularly practicing similar words and expressions in context, you can learn to choose the most natural answer with confidence.

Build your vocabulary, improve your reading skills, and prepare for the JLPT with RJT:

https://rapid-jt.com/