also: ずらい
suffix, i-adjective
hard to do; difficult to
Attaches to the -masu stem of a verb to express that the action is physically or emotionally difficult or painful to perform. Similar to にくい but often implies personal hardship or reluctance.
See also: 辛い (つらい)
このペンは細すぎて書きづらい。
This pen is too thin and hard to write with.
彼には本当のことが言いづらい。
It's hard to tell him the truth.
Kana spelling is the most common and recommended for learners. It is usually written in kana.
Irregular kana usage variant. Not standard; learners should use づらい instead.
Both mean 'hard to do', but づらい often implies emotional difficulty or personal reluctance, while にくい is more objective and focuses on inherent difficulty of the action itself.
がたい is more formal and literary, used for things that are almost impossible or very hard to achieve, often with verbs like 信じがたい (hard to believe). づらい is more colloquial and personal.
Derived from the adjective 辛い (つらい, 'painful, hard'), with rendaku voicing to づらい when used as a suffix. The irregular kana form ずらい is a common misspelling.