힘겨워요 · 힘겨웠어요 · 힘겨운 (+noun) (ㅂ irregular)
hard, strenuous, difficult to bear
Example
할머니는 무거운 짐을 들고 힘겹게 계단을 올라가셨어요.
Grandma struggled up the stairs carrying a heavy bag.
Word parts
Built from 힘 'strength' + 겹다 'too much to handle': more than your strength can bear.
Good to know
Often as an adverb: 힘겹게 'with great effort', 힘겹게 버티다 'to barely hang on'.
Related words