手ごわい・手強い|てごわいtegowai[3]nakadaka (mid-high)
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Which spelling to use
手ごわい手ごわい is the most common spelling and the recommended default for beginners; it is written with kanji followed by hiragana.
手強い手強い is a less common alternative spelling, written with kanji followed by hiragana; learners may encounter it when reading.
Definitions
- i-adjectivedifficult; tough; formidable; redoubtable; stubborn
Conjugation
| Plain form | 手ごわい（てごわい） |
|---|---|
| Polite (desu) | 手ごわいです（てごわいです） |
| Negative (kunai) | 手ごわくない（てごわくない） |
| polite (ku arimasen) | 手ごわくありません（てごわくありません） |
| Past (katta) | 手ごわかった（てごわかった） |
| Past negative (kunakatta) | 手ごわくなかった（てごわくなかった） |
| Te form (kute) | 手ごわくて（てごわくて） |
| Adverbial (ku) | 手ごわく（てごわく） |
| Conditional (kereba) | 手ごわければ（てごわければ） |
| kattara | 手ごわかったら（てごわかったら） |
Common forms generated by rule; see the senses for honorific or irregular usage.
Synonyms & antonyms
- Synonym困難こんなんNeutralFor things that are hard to accomplish or carry out; the emphasis is on the task being difficult, while 「手ごわい」 stresses a strong opponent who is hard to deal with.
- Synonym難しいむずかしいNeutralThe most common everyday word for difficult or complicated; 「難しい相手」 is possible, but 「手ごわい」 puts more weight on the other side's strength.
- SynonymタフNeutralA loanword for tough and enduring; also used of tough negotiations. It stresses an opponent's tenacity.
- Synonym強いつよいNeutralSimply means strong or powerful; it does not carry the nuance of someone being hard to deal with.
- RelatedハードNeutralA loanword for hard, high-intensity situations; it stresses the task itself being heavy, not the strength of an opponent.
- RelatedむずいCasualYoung people's slang for difficult; strictly colloquial and very casual.
- Related強いつよいNeutralSimply means strong or powerful; it does not carry the nuance of someone being hard to deal with.
- Related強靭きょうじんWrittenA written/formal word for tough and pliantly strong; the focus is on resilience.
- Related屈強くっきょうNeutralDescribes a robust, muscular build; its focus is physical strength rather than how hard someone is to deal with.
- Related頑強がんきょうNeutralMeans tenacious and unyielding; the focus is on holding one's ground and refusing to give in.
- Antonym弱いよわいNeutralThe antonym: weak. It stands opposite a strong, hard-to-handle 「手ごわい」.
- AntonymやさしいNeutralThe antonym: easy, simple. It is the opposite of something tricky and hard to deal with.
Use 「手ごわい」 for a strong opponent or problem that is hard to handle, as in 「手ごわい相手」 and 「手ごわい問題」. For a difficult task, say 「難しい」 or 「困難」; for a tenacious opponent, 「タフ」. The antonyms are 「弱い」 and 「易しい」.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese definitions
Kanji in this word
English equivalents
See also
