1.
hard to ~; difficult to ~
Attaches to the masu-stem of a verb to indicate that the action is difficult to perform, often with a nuance of psychological or emotional difficulty. The resulting word conjugates as an i-adjective.
Forms
Attaches to the masu-stem (連用形) of verbs:
Similar words
- ～づらい vs. ～にくい: Both mean "hard to do," but ～づらい implies the speaker feels psychological resistance or discomfort, while ～にくい is more neutral/objective. 言いづらい (hard to say — feels awkward) vs. 聞き取りにくい (hard to hear — objectively difficult).
- ～づらい vs. ～がたい: ～がたい is more literary/formal and expresses something nearly impossible to do emotionally (信じがたい, hard to believe).
Usage
Often used with verbs of communication and social interaction, where the difficulty is interpersonal: 話しづらい (hard to talk about), 頼みづらい (hard to ask a favor), 断りづらい (hard to refuse).