bad at romance; awkward in relationships
Describes someone who struggles with romantic relationships, often due to shyness, inexperience, or social awkwardness. Used both as a noun and as an adjectival noun with な.
He's bad at romance and can't seem to get a girlfriend.
I want to change my awkwardness in relationships.
Refers to communication difficulties in general, not specifically romance. 恋愛下手 is limited to romantic contexts.
Implies being a late bloomer or shy in love, often with a nuance of inexperience. 恋愛下手 focuses more on lack of skill or awkwardness.
Standard kanji spelling.
Katakana spelling of 下手, common in casual writing.
Compound of 恋愛 (ren'ai, 'romantic love') and 下手 (heta, 'unskillful'). The reading べた is a rendaku form of へた.