ややこしい

also: ややっこしい

や

こ

し

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

ややこしい · i-adjective

Form	Positive	Negative
Dictionary	ややこしい	ややこしくない
Polite	ややこしいです	ややこしくないですalso ややこしくありません
Past polite	ややこしかったです	ややこしくなかったですalso ややこしくありませんでした
Past	ややこしかった	ややこしくなかった
Te-form	ややこしくて	ややこしくなくて
Adverbial	ややこしく
Conditional	ややこしければ	ややこしくなければ
Tara conditional	ややこしかったら	ややこしくなかったら

Meanings

i-adjective

complicated; confusing; troublesome

Describes a situation, problem, or relationship that is tangled, hard to sort out, or mentally taxing. Often carries a nuance of mild frustration.

この問もん題だいはややこしくて、なかなか解かい決けつできない。
This problem is so complicated that I just can't solve it.
人にん間げん関かん係けいって、本ほん当とうにややこしいよね。
Human relationships are really complicated, aren't they?

See all 23 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉がややこしいa matter/situation is complicated
この問もん題だいはちょっとややこしい。
This problem is a bit complicated.
〈事こと〉をややこしくするto make something complicated
余よ計けいなことを言いって話はなしをややこしくしないでください。
Please don't complicate things by saying unnecessary stuff.
ややこしいことになるthings turn into a complicated mess
手て続つづきを間ま違ちがえるとややこしいことになる。
If you make a mistake with the procedure, things get complicated.
ややこしい〈事こと〉a complicated matter/story
彼かれはいつもややこしい話はなしをする。
He always tells complicated stories.

Related words· 6

複ふく雑ざつN4
複雑 is a neutral, formal word for complexity, while ややこしい is casual and adds a sense of annoyance or confusion.
面めん倒どうN3
面倒 highlights that something is a bothersome hassle, whereas ややこしい stresses that it's tangled and hard to follow.
煩はん雑ざつ
煩雑 is a stiff, written-style word for excessive complexity, while ややこしい is the everyday spoken equivalent.
紛まぎらわしいN2
ややこしい describes something complicated or troublesome to sort out, while 紛らわしい focuses specifically on being easily mistaken for something else.

Show 2 more

わかりにくい
ややこしい describes something convoluted or complicated (procedures, stories), while 分かりにくい focuses more narrowly on failure to understand.
厄やっ介かいN3
ややこしい means 'complicated or confusing', while 厄介 means 'troublesome or burdensome', focusing on the trouble rather than the complexity.

Opposites

簡かん単たんN5
簡単 means simple or easy, the opposite of ややこしい's tangled, hard-to-follow nature.

Don't confuse with

難むずかしいN5
難しい means difficult to do or understand, while ややこしい specifically means tangled or confusing in structure, not just hard.

Written forms

ややこしいUsage98%
Standard kana spelling; no kanji form is given.
ヤヤコシイUsage1%
ややっこしいUsage1%
Emphatic variant with a geminate consonant; less common than ややこしい.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but it is likely a reduplicative or emphatic formation related to the stem ややこ (child, baby), suggesting something childish, messy, or hard to handle.