hard to ~, difficult to ~

Beginner

15-20 min

very common

Expert Reviewed

Explanation

Expresses difficulty of doing something.

[Verb ます-stem] + にくい

この漢字は覚えにくいです。

Kono kanji wa oboenikui desu.

This kanji is hard to memorize.

このナイフは切りにくい。

Kono naifu wa kirinikui.

This knife is difficult to cut with.

Opposite of やすい (easy to).

～やすい

easy to ~

～てもいいです

may do ~, it's okay to do ~

～てはいけません

must not do ~, not allowed to do ~

～なければなりません

must do ~, have to do ~

～なくてもいいです

don't have to do ~, don't need to do ~

Compare with やすい patterns.

JLPTBooks Editorial Team

Japanese Language Education Specialists

Last updated: Jan 2

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