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.
彼は扱いにくい人だ。
He is hard to deal with.
Casual; implies the person is bothersome or tiresome to deal with.
あの人は面倒くさい。
That person is hard to deal with.
Describes someone moody, hard to please, or easily offended.
上司は気難しい。
My boss is hard to deal with.
Literally 'cannot handle with hands'; implies someone is out of control or unmanageable.
あの子は手に負えない。
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.
これは厄介な問題だ。
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.
あの人と話すと疲れる。
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.
Stubborn; often implies hard to deal with because they won't change their mind.
父は頑固で扱いにくい。
My father is stubborn and hard to deal with.
Obstinate, headstrong; similar to 頑固 but often used for willful behavior.
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.
This situation is hard to deal with.
話がややこしくなってきた。
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.