Happy Sunday Japanophiles, Herewith the 25th issue of the Hai Japan Newsletter — your Weekly Dose of Japan!

Today, we’re simply going through some grammar:

〜にくい: Understanding the Verb Suffix that Means "Difficult to Do"

Table of Contents

1. The Basics

   • にくい for Physical and Psychological Difficulty

   • にくい for Tolerance and Unlikeliness

   • にくい for Modifying Nouns

2. Beyond the Basics

   • がたい For Non-Physical Difficulty

The Basics

The verb suffix 〜にくい (~nikui) comes from the old adjective 難い (nikui), meaning "difficult." It’s used to describe the difficulty of performing an action, similar to saying "difficult to do" in English.

For example:

• このフォークは使いにくい。

  • Kono fōku wa tsukai nikui.

  • This fork is difficult to use.

In contrast, to express the ease of doing something, you would use the suffix 〜やすい (~yasui), which comes from 易い (yasui), meaning "easy."

It’s important to note that 〜にくい (~nikui) describes the difficulty as a characteristic of the object or situation, not the person.

For instance, the sentence above implies that the fork itself has a design that makes it hard to use, not that the person using it lacks skill.

にくい for Physical and Psychological Difficulty

The suffix 〜にくい (~nikui) can describe both physical and psychological challenges.

For example:

• このフォークは使いにくい。

  • Kono fōku wa tsukai nikui.

  • This fork is difficult to use.

This sentence can be interpreted in two ways depending on the context. Physically, the fork might be awkwardly shaped, making it hard to use.

Psychologically, maybe the fork has unpleasant associations, like being chosen by an ex, making it emotionally tough to handle.

にくい for Tolerance and Unlikeliness

〜にくい (~nikui) can also describe someone's tolerance or the unlikelihood of something happening, based on an inherent characteristic.

For example:

• 私の姉は車酔いしにくい。

  • Watashi no ane wa kuramayoi shi nikui.

  • My older sister doesn’t get car sick easily.

This sentence literally translates to "My older sister is difficult to get car sick," suggesting she has a high tolerance against motion sickness.

にくい for Modifying Nouns

Since 〜にくい (~nikui) is derived from an adjective, it behaves like one and can modify nouns. For example:

• 使いにくいフォーク

  • Tsukai nikui fōku

  • A fork that's difficult to use

• 歩きにくい靴

  • Aruki nikui kutsu

  • Shoes that are difficult to walk in

In these examples, 〜にくい (~nikui) describes the objects (fork, shoes) as inherently difficult to use or walk in.

Beyond the Basics

がたい For Non-Physical Difficulty

Another way to express difficulty, especially in writing, is with the suffix 〜がたい (~gatai), which also stems from the kanji 難い (nikui/gatai).

However, 〜がたい (~gatai) is more formal and used mainly with non-physical actions in idiomatic expressions. For example:

• そのニュースは信じがたい。

  • Sono nyūsu wa shinji gatai.

  • The news is difficult to believe.

Here, 〜がたい (~gatai) emphasizes the challenge of accepting or believing something, often used in contexts where something is emotionally or mentally hard to grasp.

Example in Context

Let’s put this all into practice with a short paragraph:

今日はとても暑くて、仕事に集中しにくい一日でした。 (Kyō wa totemo atsukute, shigoto ni shūchū shi nikui ichinichi deshita.) 使いにくいエアコンが原因で、部屋の温度を調整するのが難しかったです。 (Tsukai nikui eakon ga gen'in de, heya no ondo o chōsei suru no ga muzukashikatta desu.) その上、重要なメールに返信するのも信じがたいほど時間がかかりました。 (Sono ue, jūyō na mēru ni henshin suru no mo shinji gatai hodo jikan ga kakarimashita.)

Translation: "Today was so hot that it was difficult to focus on work. The difficult-to-use air conditioner made it hard to adjust the room's temperature. On top of that, it took an unbelievable amount of time to respond to important emails."

That’s all folks!

Let me know if you enjoyed this simple grammar run-through :)

Have a great Sunday!