They're very taught - lots of pressure. Also if you're playing a guitar with steel or bronze strings (any metal, really, just not the nylon strings typically used for acoustic guitars) the thinner strings can leave a visible marks.
Don't worry, practice a little each day and in a few weeks (one or two) you should develop callouses. They don't look bad at all, just like normal skin, but it doesn't hurt at all after that (unless of course you play for four hours straight :p)
They make them hurt because you put have to put enough pressure on the guitar strings in order for the sound to come out right. Unless you play guitar a lot, your fingers need to get used to the new pressure you're putting on them when you press down on the strings.
As already said, it's entirely normal for your fingers to hurt. within time, however, the pain will lessen.
Because your fingers aren't use to it. eventually if you play constintly every day your fingers will grow callouses and then it won't hurt. Once i played until the blisters on my fingers popped and bled :D it was fun! just keep playing!!
Play more, it'll go away as you develop calluses on your fingertips and it won't hurt so much. I used to play for a few hours a day, until my fingers would go numb basically, and they toughened up quite fast.
If you can get over that hump it will be rewarding. You gotta tuff it out at first. I play with mediums so my fingers are tougher than some players.
its because your fingers havent caloused over yet. just play more and you'll be fine. btw, nylon strings dont hurt as much as the metal ones do
i been playing with steel strings for so long every day that i have lost all physical feeling in my fingertips :3
why not make your fingers hurt?
Same, love to play