「しんどい」: When “Tired” and “Hard” Don't Quite Capture It

As someone who's lived in Japan for a long time, I've realized some words are rarely taught in depth in textbooks but are key to expressing feelings just like a native. And 「しんどい」 (shindoi) is a prime example.

You're probably familiar with 「疲れた」(tsukareta - Tired) and 「大変」(taihen - Tough/Hard). But sometimes, you feel a kind of exhaustion that's “heavier” than that, a feeling of being drained both physically and mentally. That's exactly when Japanese people use 「しんどい」.

What kind of feeling is 「しんどい」? 🤔

It's a combination of three things:

1. Physical Fatigue (体の疲れ): Similar to 疲れた, but often implies a lingering tiredness that makes you feel heavy.
2. The Hardship of a Task (大変さ): The feeling that something is difficult and requires a lot of effort.
3. Mental Strain (精神的な辛さ): This is the biggest difference. It includes discouragement, pressure, and the feeling of being “drained” and not wanting to continue.

Simply put, しんどい is the feeling of being “sick and tired” of doing something, or when you're completely wiped out, both physically and mentally.

Let's look at examples to get the feel!

🚶‍♂️ For physical exhaustion:

「熱があって、体中が痛くてしんどい。」 (Netsu ga atte, karadajuu ga itakute shindoi.) → I have a fever and my whole body aches, I feel so drained.

(Using 疲れた here wouldn't fully capture the uncomfortable, heavy feeling of being sick).

😩 For mental burnout:

「毎日上司に怒られて、もうこの会社にいるのがしんどい。」 (Mainichi joushi ni okorarete, mou kono kaisha ni iru no ga shindoi.) → Getting yelled at by my boss every day... being at this company is just mentally exhausting now.

☔️ When something is a “drag”:

「この雨の中、スーパーまで歩いて行くのはしんどいなぁ。」 (Kono ame no naka, suupaa made aruite iku no wa shindoi naa.) → Walking to the supermarket in this rain is such a drag.

(It's not necessarily 大変 (difficult), but more a feeling of laziness and weariness, not wanting to do it).

In a nutshell: 疲れた vs 大変 vs しんどい

• 疲れた (Tsukareta): Tired (the result after an action).
• 大変 (Taihen): Tough, hard (describes an objective situation).
• しんどい (Shindoi): Draining, exhausting, a drag (describes a subjective feeling, both physical and mental).

Next time you feel truly wiped out, try saying, 「ああ、しんどい…」. I guarantee any Japanese person will instantly understand your state and give you a deeper level of sympathy! 👍