also: むつかしい · むづかしい
難しい · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | 難しい | 難しくない |
| Polite | 難しいです | 難しくないですalso 難しくありません |
| Past polite | 難しかったです | 難しくなかったですalso 難しくありませんでした |
| Past | 難しかった | 難しくなかった |
| Te-form | 難しくて | 難しくなくて |
| Adverbial | 難しく | |
| Conditional | 難しければ | 難しくなければ |
| Tara conditional | 難しかったら | 難しくなかったら |
The core modern sense: something is hard to do, understand, solve, judge, or deal with. The antonym is 易しい.
Antonyms: 易しい
この漢字は読むのが難しい。
This kanji is difficult to read.
His explanation is hard to understand because it has many technical terms.
not feasible; difficult to do; not possible
A softer, more indirect way to say that something is impossible or unfeasible; often gentler than saying 無理.
Delivery on that schedule would not be feasible.
It may not be possible to reply by the end of today.
fussy; particular; hard to please
Describes a person, customer, or taste as demanding, picky, or not easily satisfied.
He is a hard-to-please customer and complains even about small delays.
Common especially in the expression 難しい顔, meaning a troubled, stern, sullen, or serious expression.
He has had a gloomy, serious look on his face since this morning.
Archaic use; not a normal modern meaning of 難しい. Modern readers would usually understand the word as 'difficult' unless the historical context makes this sense clear.
In classical usage, むつかしい can describe something dirty or detestable.
unpleasant; uncomfortable; creepy
Archaic use for something unpleasant, uncomfortable, eerie, or spooky; this is not the ordinary modern sense.
In older writing, むつかしい may be read as meaning 'creepy' or 'unpleasant.'
She always overthinks everything.
He's a picky person with a lot of preferences.
He came down with a serious illness.
This problem is difficult for children.
Learning a foreign language is difficult.
難しい simply means 'difficult' in a general sense, while 骨が折れる emphasizes the strain and trouble of carrying out the task.
難しい is the everyday, plain adjective for 'difficult', while 至難 is a formal, intensified term for near-impossible situations.
難しい means difficult due to complexity or required skill, while 厳しい implies difficulty caused by harsh standards, strict rules, or tough conditions.
難しい means 'difficult', the direct opposite of 易い's meaning of 'easy'.
難しい means 'difficult', the direct opposite of ちょろい's 'easy, a piece of cake' sense.
難しい means 'difficult', the direct opposite of イージー's sense of 'easy'.
難しい describes something difficult or hard to do, the opposite of 楽 in its 'easy, effortless' sense.
難しい is the everyday i-adjective meaning 'difficult', serving as a common opposite of 容易 in casual speech.
難しい means difficult, the opposite of 軽い when it describes an easy task or problem.
terribly difficult; extremely hard
Kana spelling is a practical everyday variant, especially in casual, learner-facing, or child-facing writing.
Search-only kana form listed; not the normal modern spelling.
Nonstandard search-only kanji form listed; use 難しい in normal writing.