Translation guide
Describes people, situations, or things that are difficult to handle, manage, or cope with. Japanese expressions vary based on what makes it hard to deal with—personality, complexity, stubbornness, or emotional toll.
Describing someone who is hard to get along with, moody, or demanding.
General term for someone hard to handle or manage, often due to personality.
He is hard to deal with.
Casual; implies the person is bothersome or tiresome to deal with.
That person is hard to deal with.
Describes someone moody, hard to please, or easily offended.
My boss is hard to deal with.
Literally 'cannot handle with hands'; implies someone is out of control or unmanageable.
That child is hard to deal with.
Describing a situation, task, or problem that is complicated or troublesome.
Common word for something troublesome, bothersome, or problematic.
This is a hard problem to deal with.
Implies something is a hassle or too much trouble.
General 'difficult', but can imply 'hard to deal with' in context.
Casual; means complicated, messy, or tangled.
Describing something that wears you out mentally or emotionally.
Literally 'tiring', often used to mean emotionally draining to deal with.
Dealing with that person is hard.
Means having to be careful or considerate, implying it's mentally taxing.
Idiom meaning 'bone-breaking', i.e., very strenuous or troublesome.
Describing someone who won't listen or is inflexible.
扱いにくい focuses on the difficulty of handling someone or something, while 面倒くさい expresses that it's bothersome or a hassle. 面倒くさい is more casual and subjective.
Avoid directly translating 'hard to deal with' as 扱うのが難しい. While understandable, it sounds unnatural. Use the expressions above depending on context.
手続きが面倒だ。
The procedure is hard to deal with.
この状況は難しい。
This situation is hard to deal with.
The situation is getting hard to deal with.
彼女には気を使う。
She is hard to deal with (requires walking on eggshells).
This job is hard to deal with.
彼は強情だから話が進まない。
He is hard to deal with because he's so obstinate.