拙(つたな)い

つたない

i-adjective

unskillful, poor, clumsy

Conjugation

	Affirmative	Negative
Present	拙(つたな)い	拙(つたな)くない
Past	拙(つたな)かった	拙(つたな)くなかった
て form	拙(つたな)くて	拙(つたな)くなくて
Adverbial	拙(つたな)く	—
Conditional ば	拙(つたな)ければ	拙(つたな)くなければ
Conditional たら	拙(つたな)かったら	拙(つたな)くなかったら

1. unskillful, poor, clumsy, inexpert

Lacking skill or proficiency. Often used self-deprecatingly to describe one's own abilities, particularly in language, writing, or performance. Can also describe genuinely poor quality.

拙(つたな)い日本語(にほんご)ですみません。

I'm sorry for my poor Japanese.

拙(つたな)い文章(ぶんしょう)ですが、読(よ)んでいただけますか。

It's poorly written, but would you read it?

拙(つたな)い説明(せつめい)で申(もう)し訳(わけ)ありませんが、ご理解(りかい)いただければ幸(さいわ)いです。

I apologize for my clumsy explanation, but I would be grateful for your understanding.

Usage

Frequently used as a humble self-deprecation when presenting one's own work, speech, or writing to others. The phrase 拙(つたな)い日本語(にほんご)ですが... is a common opener for non-native speakers. While it can describe genuinely poor quality, the self-deprecating use is more common in practice.

Forms

Adverbial: 拙(つたな)く
Noun form: 拙(つたな)さ

Common collocations

拙(つたな)い日本語(にほんご): poor Japanese (self-deprecating)
拙(つたな)い文章(ぶんしょう): poorly written text
拙(つたな)い表現(ひょうげん): clumsy expression

Similar words

下手(へた): unskillful, bad at (more casual and direct)
未熟(みじゅく): immature, inexperienced (emphasizes lack of training)
稚拙(ちせつ): childish and clumsy (stronger criticism)

Related Words

Synonym: 下手(へた) (unskillful (casual))

Compare: 未熟(みじゅく) (immature, inexperienced)

Compare: 稚拙(ちせつ) (childish and clumsy)

general

Added 2026.2.22 15:17 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

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