How to say "troublesome" in Japanese

• 難しいむずかしいJLPT N5approx.Common
  i-adjectiveIts core sense is 'difficult, hard'; the 'troublesome' gloss applies when the trouble comes from something being hard to do or handle. For plain bother or annoyance, another word is the better choice.
  私は彼女かのじょに難むずかしい質問しつもんをした。↗

  I asked her a difficult question.
• めんどいCommon
  i-adjectiveThe colloquial way to say something is a bother, conveying that you cannot be bothered with a task or chore; normally written in kana alone, it suits casual talk.
• 煩わしいわずらわしいJLPT N1approx.Common
  i-adjectiveCovers 'troublesome' with a strong shade of 'annoying': something that keeps nagging or weighing on you. Typical of hassles, obligations, or worries you wish you were free of.
  あ、とりあえず包帯ほうたいしているけど、もし煩わずらわしかったら、家いえに帰かえってからカットバンに代かえても大丈夫だいじょうぶよ。↗

  Ah, well I've bandaged it for the meantime but if that's awkward then it's fine to replace it with a plaster when you get home.
• ややこしいJLPT N1approx.Common
  i-adjectiveReally means 'complicated' or 'confusing' rather than troublesome: use for tangled explanations, rules, or situations that are hard to follow. As a rendering of 'troublesome' it is only marginal.
  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, nounDescribes things that are complex and cluttered to the point of confusion — paperwork, procedures, and similar processes with too many moving parts. It characterizes the thing itself, not your feeling of being bothered.
  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?

For 'troublesome' as a bother, choose 「めんどい」 (casual) or 「煩わしい」 (annoying); 「難しい」 really means difficult, while 「ややこしい」 and 煩雑 describe things that are complicated or confusing rather than merely bothersome.

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

• 難しいむずかしいdifficult
• めんどいtroublesome
• 煩わしいわずらわしいtroublesome
• ややこしいcomplicated
• 煩雑はんざつcomplex
• 不都合ふつごうinconvenient
• 億劫おっくうtroublesome
• 難儀なんぎtroublesome (person, task, etc.)
• 邪魔くさいじゃまくさいtroublesome
• 手のかかるてのかかるtroublesome
• もの臭いものぐさいtroublesome
• 小難しいこむずかしいslightly difficult
• 煩瑣はんさvexatious
• 邪魔っけじゃまっけnuisance
• うっといirritating
• よだきいbothersome
• 難しげむずかしげdifficult
• ややこいcomplicated
• うるさいannoying
• うっとうしいirritating
• 大儀たいぎlaborious
• 世話の焼けるせわのやけるtroublesome
• 仕方のないしかたのないhopeless (person)
• るっさいannoying
• 具合が悪いぐあいがわるいinconvenient
• うっさいannoying
• 骨ほねlaborious
• まずいawkward
• 仕方ないしかたないhopeless (person)
• 仕方がないしかたがないhopeless (person)
• しょうがないhopeless (person)
• 致し方ないいたしかたないhopeless (person)