What does 힘들다 mean?
힘들다 (him-deul-da) means: Difficult, tough, hard to bear.
The single most common way Koreans describe a rough patch — work, relationships, life in general. It's less dramatic than '버겁다', more of an everyday-strength word: simple, honest, and used constantly in real conversation.
How it's actually used
- 요즘 회사일 때문에 너무 힘들어서 눈물이 나.
yojeum hoesail ttaemune neomu himdeureoseo nunmuri na.
Things at work have been so tough lately that I could just cry.
💡 The standard way to express deep stress or hardship. - 혼자서 이 모든 걸 다 하려니까 진짜 힘들네.
honjaseo i modeun geol da haryeonika jinjja himdeulne.
Trying to do all of this completely by myself is really exhausting.
💡 Used when overwhelmed by a heavy workload. - 요즘 회사일도 바쁘고 사람 관계도 치여서 정말 힘들다.
yojeum hoesaildo bappeugo saram gwan-gyedo chiyeoseo jeongmal himdeulda.
Lately, work is busy and I'm worn out by people, so things are really tough.
💡 The ultimate everyday phrase for expressing general hardship in life, work, or relationships.
Related words in Overwhelm & Struggle
지긋지긋하다 ji-geut-ji-geut-ha-da고달프다 go-dal-peu-da진땀나다 jin-ttam-na-da안간힘을 쓰다 an-gan-him-eul sseu-da눈코 뜰 새 없다 nun-ko tteul sae eop-da