Japanese edit

For pronunciation and definitions of きびしい – see the following entry.
厳しい
[adjective] [from late 900s] stern, grave, forbidding; dignified, stately
[adjective] [from early 1000s] strict, unforgiving
[adjective] [from 1116] tight, close, without gaps
[adjective] [from 1179] harsh, tough, extreme, severe, hard to withstand (said of natural phenomena)
[adjective] [from 1710] extreme, excessive, terrible (said of an action)
[adjective] [from late 1700s?] dire, difficult, tight (said of a situation)
(This term, きびしい, is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as きびしい, see Category:Japanese kanji read as きびしい.)