地獄

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 地獄 is read as じごく and is a noun for hell in religious or legendary contexts, and figuratively for an unbearable situation.
• Basic usage: The otherworldly place appears in 地獄に落ちる, while an extreme condition appears in 地獄のような暑さ.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Literal and figurative senses
  • It can mean a place of suffering after death or strongly portray severe hardship in ordinary life.
• Strength of the metaphor
  • Figurative use conveys something far more painful or inescapable than a minor inconvenience.