Kannanshinku is a word that combines four different kanji that all refer to difficulty or trying times. One might translate it as trials and tribulations, because these too are words that we use together quite often without thinking about what each one means individually. Kannanshinku is mostly used in reference to prior experience, i.e. things that happened in one’s past that have made one a stronger and wiser person.

For example, you could say “my childhood was rife with kannanshinku, but now that I’m older I’m wiser for it.”.