悪戦苦闘 akusen kutō Desperate Fight

The word for a fight that is being fought, not lost. It is a hard fight against a strong enemy. In the same breath it is the struggle of anyone up against something bigger than they are. That might be a sickbed, a business, a campaign, a hard year. Japanese has used it both ways from its first years in print. So it fits the fighter and the person simply getting through. Which of the two you take is yours. Fighting against heavy odds is the English the dictionaries gave it. It keeps the sense right: the odds are heavy and the fight is on.

悪戦苦闘 is composed of the words 悪戦 (read akusen) meaning "hard fight; close contest" and 苦闘 (read kutō) meaning "bitter struggle".

We want you to be as happy with the meaning as you are with Master Takase's art. To learn more, visit Philology of 悪戦苦闘.

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