手ごわい
てごわい
i-adjective
tough; formidable; hard to beat
Conjugation
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 手ごわい | 手ごわくない |
| Past | 手ごわかった | 手ごわくなかった |
| て form | 手ごわくて | 手ごわくなくて |
| Adverbial | 手ごわく | — |
| Conditional ば | 手ごわければ | 手ごわくなければ |
| Conditional たら | 手ごわかったら | 手ごわくなかったら |
1.
tough; formidable; hard to beat; hard to deal with
Describes an opponent, task, or situation that is difficult to overcome. Implies that the difficulty comes from the strength or skill of the opposition, not just the complexity of the task.
手ごわい相手だ。
That's a tough opponent.
今回の試験は手ごわかった。
This exam was really tough.
交渉相手がなかなか手ごわくて、話がまとまらない。
The other party in the negotiation is quite tough, and we can't reach an agreement.
手ごわい (also written 手強い) describes an opponent or challenge that is genuinely tough and resistant to your efforts.
USAGE:
- An i-adjective. The literal sense is 'hard on the hands' — i.e., something that pushes back when you try to handle it.
- Used most often in adversarial contexts: sports, games, business negotiations, debates.
- Distinguished from 難しい (difficult in general): 手ごわい specifically implies active resistance or opposition by an adversary, not abstract difficulty.
FORMS:
- Adverbial: 手ごわく (手ごわく抵抗する — to resist toughly)
- Negative: 手ごわくない
- Past: 手ごわかった
- Noun-modifying: 手ごわい相手, 手ごわい敵
COLLOCATIONS:
- 手ごわい相手: a tough opponent
- 手ごわい敵: a formidable enemy
- 手ごわい交渉相手: a tough negotiating partner
- なかなか手ごわい: 'quite formidable, indeed'
SIMILAR ADJECTIVES:
- 難しい: difficult (general; no implication of an adversary).
- 手強い: an alternative reading/spelling with the same meaning.
- The opposite is 手ぬるい (lenient, going too easy on someone).