〜にくい

にくい
auxiliary adjective
hard to ~, difficult to ~
See also: ～にくい (hard to (variant))
1. hard to ~, difficult to ~
Attached to verb stems to indicate difficulty in doing something.
この漢字(かんじ)は読(よ)みにくい。
This kanji is hard to read.
食(た)べにくい魚(さかな)だ。
It's a fish that's hard to eat.
言(い)いにくいことがある。
There's something hard to say.
このペンは書(か)きにくくて困(こま)る。
This pen is hard to write with, which is a problem.
暗(くら)くて歩(ある)きにくい道(みち)だから、気(き)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:

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 ~

NUANCE:
Often implies inherent difficulty in the action itself.

Related Words

Contrast: 難(がた)い (hard to (literary))
core
Added 2026.1.9 21:36 · Revised 2026.5.18 6:19
02000/02005_nikui