〜にくい
JLPT N4:hard to
Says something is hard to do, or does not easily happen: "hard to…".
How to form it
- Start from the ます form and replace ます with にくい: 覚えます becomes 覚えにくい.
- The result is an い-adjective: 覚えにくくない, 覚えにくかった.
- With verbs for things that just happen, it means something does not easily happen: 壊れにくい (hard to break).
Examples
この漢字は覚えにくいです。
This kanji is hard to remember.
この薬は飲みにくい。
This medicine is hard to swallow.
Notes
- 〜づらい also means "hard to", with more sense of personal discomfort: 言いづらい (awkward to say).
Similar meaning
- 〜やすいeasy to
The opposite: "easy to".
- 〜がたいhard to
"Hard to" in the sense of hardly being able to bring yourself to; formal.