〜にくい
にくい
auxiliary adjective
hard to ~, difficult to ~
1.
hard to ~, difficult to ~
Attached to verb stems to indicate difficulty in doing something.
この漢字は読みにくい。
This kanji is hard to read.
食べにくい魚だ。
It's a fish that's hard to eat.
言いにくいことがある。
There's something hard to say.
このペンは書きにくくて困る。
This pen is hard to write with, which is a problem.
暗くて歩きにくい道だから、気をつけて。
It's a dark road that's hard to walk on, so be careful.
〜にくい is an auxiliary i-adjective attached to verb stems meaning "hard to do" or "difficult to do."
FORMATION:
Verb stem (masu-form minus ます) + にくい
EXAMPLES:
- 読む → 読みにくい: hard to read
- 書く → 書きにくい: hard to write
- 使う → 使いにくい: hard to use
- 食べる → 食べにくい: hard to eat
- 言う → 言いにくい: hard to say
CONJUGATION (I-ADJECTIVE):
- にくい: hard to ~
- にくくない: not hard to ~
- にくかった: was hard to ~
OPPOSITE:
〜やすい: easy to ~
- 読みやすい: easy to read
NUANCE:
Often implies inherent difficulty in the action itself.