1.
difficult to; hard to
A suffix attached to the stem of a verb to express that the action is difficult to perform, often implying that it is psychologically or practically hard rather than physically impossible.
Forms
Attaches to the masu-stem (連用形) of verbs:
- 信じる → 信じがたい (hard to believe)
- 理解する → 理解しがたい (hard to understand)
- 許す → 許しがたい (hard to forgive)
- 得る → 得がたい (hard to obtain)
Register
More formal and literary than にくい, which expresses a similar meaning. がたい often implies emotional or moral difficulty, while にくい tends to describe practical difficulty.
Common collocations
- 信じがたい (hard to believe)
- 許しがたい (unforgivable)
- 理解しがたい (hard to understand)
- 得がたい (rare, hard to come by)
- 耐えがたい (unbearable)
- 言いがたい (hard to say)
Similar words
- にくい: hard to do — more colloquial, emphasizes practical difficulty
- づらい: hard to do — emphasizes physical or psychological discomfort in doing the action