Phonosemantic compound. 艮 represents the meaning and 堇 represents the sound.
Components
Traditional (艱)
Simplified (艰)
Notes
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Historical Evolution
艱
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
艱
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
艱
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
艱
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
艱
Bronze
Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
艱
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
艱
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
艱
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
艱
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
艱
Regular
Modern
Chinese
艰 / 艱 [jiān]
difficult; hard; hardship
Example Sentences
CHINESE WORDS (16)
艰难 [jiānnán] #2,157
difficult
艰苦 [jiānkǔ] #7,226
difficult
艰辛 [jiānxīn] #10,205
hardships
艰巨 [jiānjù] #14,016
arduous
艰苦奋斗 [jiānkǔfèndòu] #46,723
to struggle arduously
艰险 [jiānxiǎn] #27,496
difficult and dangerous
举步维艰 [jǔbùwéijiān] #37,162
to make progress only with great difficulty (idiom)
艰难险阻 [jiānnánxiǎnzǔ] #44,214
untold dangers and difficulties (idiom)
艰巨性 [jiānjùxìng] #30,582
arduousness
艰苦朴素 [jiānkǔpǔsù] #33,848
leading a plain, hardworking life (idiom)
6 more
items
JAPANESE WORDS (7)
艱難辛苦 [かんなんしんく] #49,726
trial and tribulation
艱難 [かんなん] #50,054
hardships
艱苦 [かんく] #80,961
privation suffering
辛苦艱難 [しんくかんなん] #207,153
trials and tribulations
艱難汝を玉にす [かんなんなんじをたまにす] #228,279
hardship makes the man
艱難苦労 [かんなんくろう] #256,079
trials and tribulations
時艱 [じかん]
problems that affect a period of time