困难 (kùnnan) — difficulty / difficult

困难 (kùnnan)

困难 means difficulty or difficult. As a noun it refers to a hardship, obstacle, or problem. As an adjective it describes something as hard or challenging. Note the pronunciation: the second syllable is neutral tone (kùnnan), not kùnnán.

Meanings

1. [noun] Difficulty; hardship; obstacle; problem.
2. [adjective] Difficult; hard; challenging.

Example Sentences

学中文有困难吗？ Xué Zhōngwén yǒu kùnnan ma? Are there any difficulties in learning Chinese?

遇到困难不要放弃。 Yùdào kùnnan bú yào fàngqì. Do not give up when you encounter difficulties.

这道题很困难。 Zhè dào tí hěn kùnnan. This problem is very difficult.

他克服了很多困难才成功。 Tā kèfú le hěn duō kùnnan cái chénggōng. He overcame many difficulties before succeeding.

Collocations

Memory Hook

困 shows a tree (木) trapped inside a box (口), something enclosed and stuck. 难 means hard or difficult. Together they paint a picture of being boxed in with no easy way out — that is 困难.