Verb にくい (〜nikui)

N4

Verb にくい (〜nikui)

Verb nikui

Difficulty in Action with ～にくい

N4

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Explanation

The ～にくい grammar point is used to express that an action is difficult or relatively hard to do. It can be translated as 'hard to', 'difficult to', or 'not easily' in English.

Structure

Pattern
Verb-stem + にくい
Verb-stemThe stem of a verb before adding にくい.
Examples: 読-み-, 開け-, 作り-
にくいAdjective suffix indicating difficulty or hardness in performing the action.
Examples:

Examples

Example 1
この字は読みにくいです。
Kono ji wa yomi nikui desu.
This character is hard to read.
Breakdown
tokenこの - this; 字 - character, writing; 読み - read (verb-stem); にくい - difficult
Example 2
このドアは開けにくい。
Kono doa wa ake nikui.
This door is difficult to open.
Breakdown
tokenこの - this; ドア - door; 開け - open (verb-stem); にくい - hard
Example 3
彼の字は読みにくい。
Kare no ji wa yomi nikui.
His handwriting is hard to read.
Breakdown
token彼の - his; 字 - writing, character; 読み - read (verb-stem); にくい - difficult
Example 4
この料理は作りにくい。
Kono ryouri wa tsukuri nikui.
This dish is difficult to make.
Breakdown
tokenこの - this; 料理 - dish, cooking; 作る - make (verb-stem); にくい - hard

Related Grammar

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