苦にが手て

に

が

て

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 5,000

Meanings

na-adjective, noun

poor at; weak in; not good at

Describes a lack of skill or ability in a subject, task, or activity. Often used with ～が苦手.

私わたしは数すう学がくが苦にが手てです。
I'm not good at math.
彼かれは人ひと前まえで話はなすのが苦にが手てだ。
He is poor at speaking in public.

na-adjective, noun

not one's cup of tea; not one's favorite; dislike

Expresses personal dislike or aversion, not necessarily lack of ability. Often used for foods, people, or situations one finds unpleasant.

納なっ豆とうは苦にが手てなんです。
Natto is not my cup of tea.
彼かの女じょは虫むしが苦にが手てだ。
She dislikes insects.

See all 327 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈事こと〉が苦にが手てto be poor at (a subject or task)
私わたしは数すう学がくが苦にが手てです。
I'm not good at math.
〈物もの〉が苦にが手てto dislike or be unable to handle (a food or thing)
辛からい食たべ物ものが苦にが手てです。
I can't handle spicy food.
〈動どう詞し〉のが苦にが手てto be poor at doing (an action)
人ひと前まえで話はなすのが苦にが手てです。
I'm bad at speaking in front of people.
〈人ひと〉が苦にが手てto find someone hard to deal with
厳きびしい上じょう司しが苦にが手てです。
I have a hard time dealing with my strict boss.
苦にが手てを克こく服ふくするto overcome one's weak point
苦にが手てを克こく服ふくするために毎まい日にち練れん習しゅうした。
I practiced every day to overcome my weak point.

Expressions

大だいの苦にが手てextremely bad at; dread; really dislike

Kanji

苦suffering, trial, worry
手hand

Related words· 6

下手へたN5sense 1
下手 bluntly states someone lacks skill at something, while 苦手 softens the same idea and can also mean simple dislike rather than incompetence.
不ふ得とく意いN1sense 1
不得意 is a more formal, written synonym for 苦手 when talking about a weak subject or skill.
嫌きらいN5sense 2
嫌い is a stronger, more direct word for dislike, whereas 苦手 softens the aversion and is often used to be polite.
煙けむたいN1
苦手 means someone or something you find hard to deal with or dislike facing, while 煙たい more specifically points to a stiff, distancing discomfort around a person of higher status or authority.

Show 2 more

嫌いやN5
苦手 often implies something one is bad at or ill at ease with, whereas 嫌 is a plain statement of dislike or unwillingness.
不ふ慣なれN1
苦手 focuses on being poor at or disliking something, whereas 不慣れ simply describes a lack of familiarity that could improve with practice.

Opposites

得とく意いN3sense 1
得意 means good at or skilled in something, the direct opposite of 苦手's 'poor at' sense.
好すきN5sense 2
好き means to like something, contrasting with 苦手's sense of finding something unpleasant or hard to deal with.
堪たん能のうN1
苦手 means being poor at or disliking something, the opposite of 堪能's sense of being highly skilled.
十八番おはこ
苦手 names something a person is bad at or dislikes doing, the opposite of a 十八番, which is their standout strength.

Don't confuse with

苦にがいN4
苦い shares the kanji 苦 with 苦手 but means literally 'bitter' in taste, not 'poor at' or 'disliking'.
大だい嫌きらいN1
苦手 means 'bad at' or 'have trouble dealing with' something, which can overlap with dislike but doesn't imply hatred the way 大嫌い does.

Word family

苦にが手て意い識しき
feeling of being bad at something; inferiority complex about a skill

Written forms

苦にが手てUsage98%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word.
ニガテUsage1%
にがてUsage1%

Etymology

Originally referred to a difficult opponent or someone hard to deal with, contrasting with 得手. It later developed the senses “weak point,” “poor at,” and “dislike.”