Verb にくい

〜nikui

JLPT N4 Neutral Chapter 43: Verb compounds, 4 of 7

Formation

Verb-stem + にくい

Express difficulty or complexity; 'hard to', 'difficult to', 'not easily'.

When to use

ます stem + にくい: hard to do (読みにくい). Easy to do: やすい.

Explanation

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

Example sentences

  • この字じは読よみにくいです。

    This character is hard to read.

    Kono ji wa yomi nikui desu.

  • このドアは開あけにくい。

    This door is difficult to open.

    Kono doa wa ake nikui.

  • 彼かの字じは読よみにくい。

    His handwriting is hard to read.

    Kare no ji wa yomi nikui.

  • この料理りょうりは作つくりにくい。

    This dish is difficult to make.

    Kono ryouri wa tsukuri nikui.

Ease (Easy To / Hard To)

Corpus examples (60)

Showing 25 of 60 corpus examples.