Translation guide
Expresses that something is visually difficult to perceive, either due to physical obstruction, small size, faintness, or other factors. Japanese uses different words depending on the reason.
Something is hard to see because it is blocked, far away, dark, or otherwise not clearly visible.
General and common way to say 'hard to see'. Used when visibility is poor for any reason.
These letters are small and hard to see.
It's very hard to see far away because of the fog.
Similar to 見えにくい, but often implies personal difficulty or discomfort in seeing, or that something is hard to make out.
This map is too detailed and hard to see.
Means 'cannot see' or 'invisible'. Use when something is completely out of sight, not just difficult.
That sign is not visible from here.
Something is physically blocked or covered, making it difficult to see.
Specifically means 'hidden and cannot be seen'. Used when something is behind another object.
The car is hidden behind the truck and I can't see it.
Used when something is in the shadow or shade of something else, making it hard to see.
The house is in the shadow of the tree and hard to see.
Something is too small, faint, or indistinct to be seen clearly.
The speaker's own vision is the reason something is hard to see.
Both mean 'hard to see', but 見えにくい is more objective (the thing itself is hard to see), while 見づらい often implies a subjective difficulty or that it's hard to make out details. In many cases they are interchangeable.
This computer screen is hard to see because of reflections.
This font is hard to read (hard to see clearly).
難しい means 'difficult' in an intellectual sense. To say something is hard to see, use 見えにくい or 見づらい, not 見るのが難しい.
最近、小さい字が見えにくくなった。
Lately, small print has become hard to see.