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.
この文字は小さくて見えにくい。
These letters are small and hard to see.
霧で遠くがとても見えにくい。
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.
この地図は細かすぎて見づらい。
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.
その看板はここから見えない。
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.
車がトラックの後ろに隠れて見えない。
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.
木の陰になって家が見えない。
The house is in the shadow of the tree and hard to see.
Something is too small, faint, or indistinct to be seen clearly.
Directly states that something is too small to see.
虫が小さくて見えない。
The bug is so small I can't see it.
Means 'faintly visible'. Use when something is barely perceptible.
遠くに山がかすかに見える。
I can faintly see the mountains in the distance.
The speaker's own vision is the reason something is hard to see.
Literally 'my eyes are bad so I can't see'. Common self-deprecating way to say you can't see well.
目が悪くて、あの看板の字が見えない。
My eyesight is bad, so I can't see the letters on that sign.
Can also be used when the problem is with the viewer's eyes, not the object.
最近、小さい字が見えにくくなった。
Lately, small print has become 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.
このパソコンの画面は反射して見えにくい。
This computer screen is hard to see because of reflections.
このフォントは見づらい。
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.