Tendency and state
～にくい
difficult to ~; hard to ~
AI-written, reviewed by AI (ChatGPT)
How to form it
- Verb (ます-stem) + にくい
Register: Neutral
Explanation
Says that something is difficult or unpleasant to do because of its nature.
It focuses on the difficulty caused by the thing itself. づらい is similar but emphasizes that it is painful or hard for the person to do.
Examples
この漢字は、書きにくい。
このかんじは、かきにくい。
This kanji is hard to write.
靴が小さくて、歩きにくい。
くつがちいさくて、あるきにくい。
The shoes are small, so they are hard to walk in.
彼は、何を考えているか分かりにくい人だ。
かれは、なにをかんがえているかわかりにくいひとだ。
He is a person whose thoughts are hard to read.
この薬は、苦くて飲みにくい。
このくすりは、にがくてのみにくい。
This medicine is bitter and hard to take.
Compare with
- ～やすい: やすい is easy to ~; にくい is hard to ~.
Common mistakes
- Using it for a thing you are unable to do; for ability, use potential forms such as できない.