"何がこまりましたか?"
Translation:What is the trouble?
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So the kanji is a guy laying on a bed, seemingly in a coma (こま). I like it.
515
The kanji was actually a wood surround by walls, leaving no room to grow. But man, I like your interpretation of a guy (while having a extra limb... Or something big between the legs( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°))
2696
I think what Jacques is getting at is that troubled is essentially a synonym for worried. I too was thinking "What were you troubled by" or "What was troubling you."
"Komaru" is one of those Japanese verbs that references something in the past to tell you about the present. Something happened, and now you are in the state of being troubled. When you ask "nani ga komarimashita ka?" you are seeing that the person is currently troubled, and are asking what happened to cause that state.
Another example of this kind of verb behavior would be saying "kaze o hikimashita", which literally means "I caught a cold", but is explaining that now, currently, you have a cold.
"I caught a cold" is actually a good example, as you have the same construct in English there. "Caught" is past tense, but is often used in a context where you imply that you currently have a cold. E.g. "How're you doing? - Not great, I caught a cold."
Or, for that matter, consider the even more ubiquitous "I have got" to mean you possess something, where "got" is past tense.
I don't think this Japanese sentence is appropriate when someone wants to ask someone who seems to be in trouble...
I would ask,「何(なに)かありましたか?」、「何(なに)かお困(こま)りですか?」、「どうかしましたか?」or「どうしたんですか?」
「何(なに)がこまりましたか?」this is asking about a sort of specific things,
A:先週(せんしゅう)日本(にほん)に行(い)って苦労(くろう)しました。
B:何(なに)が困(こま)りましたか?
A:まず英語(えいご)がなかなか通(つう)じませんでしたし、あとWi-Fi環境(かんきょう)も整(ととの)っていませんでした。
444
I feel like "What's bothering you" should also be accepted. Or maybe this is a very Midwestern way of speaking? Do other people not say this?
1986
What were you in trouble?← Is this a mistake?
My English confidence is running down "(-""-)"
2696
I have heard "What's the trouble," though not nearly as commonly as the other phrases you mention.