骨が折れる

ほねがおれる

to be hard (to do); to be difficult; to require much effort; to be laborious

Also written 骨がおれる、ホネが折れる

Meaning

expv1
to be hard (to do); to be difficult; to require much effort; to be laborious; to be backbreaking; to have trouble (doing)

Example sentences

英語を学ぶのは骨が折れる。

Learning English is hard work.
説明するのは骨が折れるなぁ。

That's difficult to explain.