Posted inN4 Grammar

Mastering 〜にくい (nikui): When Things Are Just Plain Difficult!

Posted inN4 Grammar
Japanese Grammar Template
Meaning & Usage

✨ Basic Meaning

The pattern 〜にくい means “difficult to do,” “hard to do,” or that something has a tendency to be difficult or inconvenient.

🎯 Primary Function

To describe that performing a specific action is challenging or inconvenient due to some inherent characteristic of the subject, object, or situation.

📋 Grammar Structure

Verb (ます-stem) + にくい

🎭 Usage Contexts

🏢 Formal Situations

Can be used in relatively formal contexts, though more common in general conversation and writing.

😊 Informal Situations

Frequently used in everyday conversation.

✍️ Written Language

Commonly found in descriptions and explanations.

🗣️ Spoken Language

Very common in daily communication to express difficulty or inconvenience.

💡 Common Applications

Describing the physical difficulty of an action.
Used for actions that are physically hard to perform.
Example: このペンは書きにくいですね。 (Kono pen wa kakinikui desu ne. – This pen is hard to write with, isn’t it?)
Describing the inconvenience of an action or situation.
Used when something is inconvenient or impractical to do.
Example: この靴は歩きにくいです。 (Kono kutsu wa arukinikui desu. – These shoes are difficult/inconvenient to walk in.)
Describing a tendency for something negative to happen easily.
Can sometimes indicate that something is prone to a certain undesirable state or action.
Example: この紙は破れにくいです。 (Kono kami wa yaburenikui desu. – This paper is difficult to tear / hard to rip.)
📊
Frequency
Very common in daily Japanese.
🎚️
Difficulty
Beginner to Intermediate (N4). The concept is simple, but mastering its nuances compared to similar expressions comes later.
Example Sentences
この本は字が小さくて読みにくい。
The letters in this book are small and it’s hard to read.
新しいパソコンは操作しにくいです。
The new computer is difficult to operate.
この道は狭くて車が通りにくい。
This road is narrow and cars have difficulty passing through.
Notes & Nuances

📌 Important Points

Conjugation
Attach 〜にくい to the ます-stem of the verb. Example: 食べます (tabemasu) -> 食べ (tabe) -> 食べにくい (tabenikui).
Example: 使いにくい (tsukainikui – hard to use)
Opposite meaning
The opposite of 〜にくい is 〜やすい (yasui), which means “easy to do” or “has a tendency to easily do”.
Example: 食べやすい (tabeyasui – easy to eat)

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌ Attaching to the plain form or -te form.
✅ Always use the ます-stem.
Incorrect: 読むにくい (yomunikui), 読んでにくい (yonde nikui). Correct: 読みにくい (yominikui).
❌ Confusing with 〜のが難しい (~no ga muzukashii).
✅ 〜にくい describes an inherent difficulty or characteristic, while 〜のが難しい is a more general statement about an action being difficult.
While “運転するのが難しい” (Unten suru no ga muzukashii – Driving is difficult) is a general statement, “この車は運転しにくい” (Kono kuruma wa unten shinikui – This car is hard to drive) implies a difficulty related to the car’s characteristics.

🏛️ Cultural Context

Politeness Level: Neutral. Can be used in most situations without being overly polite or informal.
Social Situations: Used widely in daily life when describing objects, tools, environments, or tasks.
Regional Variations: This pattern is standard across Japan.

🔍 Subtle Differences

〜にくい vs 〜づらい (~zurai)
〜にくい often describes objective physical or external difficulty/inconvenience. 〜づらい can also describe objective difficulty but often implies more subjective difficulty, discomfort, or emotional reluctance.
When to use: Use 〜にくい for things that are physically hard to do or inherently inconvenient. Use 〜づらい when there’s a stronger sense of personal difficulty, discomfort, or emotional resistance, although there is overlap, especially in spoken language.
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📝 Conjugation Notes

Always attach 〜にくい to the ます-stem of the verb. The 〜にくい part behaves like an i-adjective (e.g., 読みにくいです, 読みにくくないです, 読みにくかったです, 読みにくくなかったです).

🔊 Pronunciation Tips

Ensure the final vowel sound of the ます-stem blends smoothly into “ni”.

🧠 Memory Tips

Associate にくい (nikui) with “nasty/difficult” to remember the “difficult” meaning. Compare it directly with its opposite, 〜やすい (yasui – easy).

Practice Exercises
この箱は重くて______です。
持ちやすい
持ちにくい
持つのに簡単
持たれます
この問題は少し______。
分かりやすい
分かりにくくない
分かりにくい
分かりませんか
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