How to say "complicated" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 複雑ふくざつna-adjective, nounThe core word for something made up of many interrelated parts or factors — a complicated situation, structure, or relationship. Also covers mixed feelings, as in having complicated emotions about something.
- i-adjectiveFor complication that confuses: something tangled and hard to follow or keep straight, where the main effect on you is puzzlement. Fits rules, procedures, or explanations that are hard to make sense of.
- 煩わしいわずらわしいi-adjectiveThis is really troublesome or annoying — something that nags at you or weighs on your mind. Its complicated sense is marginal, so it is seldom the word you want when you simply mean complicated.
- 難しいむずかしいi-adjectiveChiefly means difficult or hard. It overlaps with complicated only insofar as the tangle makes something hard to do or understand; choose it when difficulty, not intricacy, is your main point.
- 煩雑はんざつna-adjective, nounCovers complication that makes things a chore: states or processes so tangled and confused that handling them is cumbersome. Often said of procedures or work that are overly involved.
Use 複雑 for things with many interwoven parts or mixed feelings, 「ややこしい」 when the complication is confusing, 煩雑 when it makes things a chore, and 「煩わしい」 or 「難しい」 only when annoyance or difficulty is your real point.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
This browser can't play pronunciations (needs Safari 18.4 or later, or Chrome / Edge / Firefox).
