How to say "intricate" in Japanese

• 複雑ふくざつJLPT N4approx.Common
  na-adjective, nounThe general-purpose word for intricate meaning complex: something hard to grasp because many parts or factors interweave. It also covers mixed feelings, where emotions are hard to untangle.
  あれはとても複雑ふくざつな機械きかいだ。↗

  That is a very complex machine.
• ややこしいJLPT N1approx.Common
  i-adjectiveFits intricate when the main point is that something confuses: rules, procedures, or explanations so tangled that people lose track of them. The emphasis falls on being confusing rather than merely elaborate.
  あの５人にんの関係かんけいは、ややこしい。↗

  The relationships among those five people are complicated.
• 煩雑はんざつCommon
  na-adjective, nounCovers intricate with a nuance of muddle: so many elements jumbled together that the whole feels cluttered and troublesome to deal with. It suits confused tangles more than elegant complexity.
  マウスとキーボードを行おこなったりきたりするのが煩雑はんざつなので、キーボードのみで操作そうさできるようショートカットキーはないのでしょうか？↗

  It's a fiddle going to and fro between the keyboard and mouse so are there shortcuts to allow operation using only the keyboard?
• 緻密ちみつCommon
  na-adjective, nounMatches intricate in its physical, craftsmanlike sense: fine grain, close weave, delicate workmanship. Use it when the intricacy lies in fine, precise detail rather than in confusing complexity.

Choose by what the intricacy involves: 複雑 for many interrelated parts, 「ややこしい」 when it confuses, 煩雑 when it feels tangled and troublesome, and 緻密 for fine, precise detail in work or texture.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 複雑ふくざつcomplex
• ややこしいcomplicated
• 煩雑はんざつcomplex
• 緻密ちみつfine (grain, workmanship, etc.)
• 込み入ったこみいったintricate
• 手の込んだてのこんだintricate
• ややこいcomplicated