に難くない · i-adjective
| Form | Positive | Negative |
|---|---|---|
| Dictionary | に難くない | に難くなくない |
| Polite | に難くないです | に難くなくないですalso に難くなくありません |
| Past polite | に難くなかったです | に難くなくなかったですalso に難くなくありませんでした |
| Past | に難くなかった | に難くなくなかった |
| Te-form | に難くなくて | に難くなくなくて |
| Adverbial | に難くなく | |
| Conditional | に難くなければ | に難くなくなければ |
| Tara conditional | に難くなかったら | に難くなくなかったら |
not hard to ...; it is easy to imagine/understand that ...
Fixed expression used after a noun or the dictionary form of a verb to mean 'it is not difficult to (imagine/understand/etc.)'. Often used with verbs like 想像する, 理解する, or 察する. Formal and somewhat literary.
It is not hard to imagine his surprise.
It is easy to guess what the result was.
Derived from the adjective 難い (かたい, 'difficult') in its negative form 難くない, combined with the particle に. The phrase literally means 'it is not difficult to ...' and has become a fixed formal expression.