Posted inN4 Grammar

Mastering づらい (Zurai): Expressing Difficulty & Reluctance in Japanese (JLPT N4)

Posted inN4 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

Difficult to do; hard to do; unpleasant or painful to do.

🎯 Primary Function

To express that an action is difficult, unpleasant, or painful to perform, often due to personal or internal reasons (physical state, emotional state, etc.), as opposed to external, objective difficulty.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb ます-stem + づらい (zurai)

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used in moderately formal contexts, though depending on the specific verb and situation, a more formal expression might be preferred. It’s generally less formal than alternatives expressing inability.

😊 Informal Situations

Very common in everyday, informal conversations.

✍️ Written Language

Frequently used in written Japanese, including informal writing, articles, and even some formal contexts depending on the tone.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Extremely common and natural in spoken Japanese.

💡 Common Applications

Expressing physical discomfort or pain when performing an action.
Describes actions that are physically challenging or cause discomfort.
Example: 長い時間立つと足が痛くて歩きづらいです。(Nagaikan tatsu to ashi ga itakute arukizurai desu.) – When I stand for a long time, my legs hurt and it’s difficult/painful to walk.
Expressing emotional or psychological difficulty/reluctance.
Describes actions that are hard to do because you feel uncomfortable, reluctant, or find them emotionally difficult.
Example: そのニュースは聞いているのがつらいです。(Sono nyuusu wa kiiteiru no ga tsurai desu.) – That news is difficult/painful to hear.
Describing something that is hard to see, hear, say, etc., due to personal state or feeling.
Can be used for sensory input that is difficult to process or deal with.
Example: まぶしくて画面が見づらい。(Mabushikute gamen ga mizurai.) – It’s dazzling and the screen is hard to see (because my eyes are bothered by the light).
📊
Frequency
Quite common in both spoken and written Japanese.
🎚️
Difficulty
JLPT N4
Example Sentences
この靴は小さすぎて履きづらいです。
These shoes are too small, so they are hard/uncomfortable to wear.
そんなひどいことは人に言いづらいです。
It’s hard/uncomfortable to say such a terrible thing to someone.
風邪をひいて、食べ物が飲み込みづらい。
I caught a cold, so it’s hard/painful to swallow food.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Focus on Internal Difficulty
づらい often emphasizes that the difficulty comes from the speaker’s internal state (physical condition, feeling, reluctance) rather than an objective difficulty inherent in the task itself.
Example: 体がだるくて起きづらい。(Karada ga darukute okizurai.) – My body is sluggish, so it’s hard/uncomfortable to get up (due to my physical state).
Often implies Pain or Discomfort
While not always the case, づらい frequently carries a nuance of physical pain, discomfort, or emotional distress associated with the action.
Example: 腰が痛くて、かがみづらいです。(Koshi ga itakute, kagamizurai desu.) – My lower back hurts, so it’s difficult/painful to bend down.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Using it for objective difficulty where にくい is more natural.
✅ Use にくい when the difficulty is inherent to the object or action, regardless of the person doing it.
Example: この日本語の教科書は読みにくい。(Kono nihongo no kyōkasho wa yominikui.) – This Japanese textbook is hard to read (maybe due to layout or content complexity). Using 読みづらい here would imply personal difficulty/discomfort with the content, which might not be the intended meaning.
❌ Incorrectly attaching it to the plain form or dictionary form of the verb.
✅ Always attach づらい to the ます-stem (連用形) of the verb.
飲みます (nomimasu) -> 飲みづらい (nomizurai), NOT 飲むづらい (nomuzurai).

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Generally considered standard/polite when used with です/ます. Can be used in informal settings without です/ます.
Social Situations: Used to express personal feelings of difficulty or reluctance in various social situations.
Regional Variations: Widely used across Japan with no significant regional variations in meaning or form.

🔍 Subtle Differences

づらい vs にくい
づらい emphasizes the speaker’s internal state (physical discomfort, emotional reluctance, pain) making the action difficult or unpleasant. にくい emphasizes objective difficulty or inherent characteristics of the object/action that make it hard to perform.
When to use: Use づらい when the difficulty is due to your own feelings, physical condition, or reluctance. Use にくい when the difficulty is because the task or object itself is inherently hard, complex, or poorly designed.
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📝 Conjugation Notes

Attach づらい to the ます-stem (連用形) of the verb. Examples: 飲む → 飲みます → 飲み + づらい → 飲みづらい. 立つ → 立ちます → 立ち + づらい → 立ちづらい. する → します → し + づらい → しづらい (sometimes されづらい is used for passive/potential nuance). くる → きます → き + づらい → きづらい.

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Pronounced “zu-ra-i”. The 「づ」 sound is similar to “zu” in English “zoo”, though some speakers might pronounce it closer to 「ず」 (zu).

🧠 Memory Tips

Think of づらい as coming from つらい (tsurai – painful, difficult, harsh). The particle ず (zu) means “without doing” something, so づらい combines this sense of hardship or pain (つらい) with difficulty (づらい) to indicate an action is hard or painful to do.

Practice Exercises
この本は漢字が多くて＿＿＿＿。
読みにくい
読みやすい
読みづらい
読んでみます
先生に間違いを指摘されて、ちょっと＿＿＿＿。
言いづらい
言いやすい
言いにくい
言いました
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