難い|かたいkatai[0]heiban (flat)

1. i-adjectivedifficult; hard
   これは始末しまつの難がたい問題もんだいだ。↗

   This is a difficult problem to solve.

• Synonym難しいむずかしいNeutralAn adjective, the general word for 'difficult', as in 「難しい問題」; 「難い（かたい）」 leans written and appears mostly in 「〜に難くない」.
• SynonymむずいCasualSlang: young people's clipped form of 「難しい」, as in 「このゲームむずい」.
• Synonym困難こんなんNeutralA noun: difficulty, as in 「困難を乗り越える」; leans formal.
• Related厄介やっかいNeutralA na-adjective: troublesome, tricky, as in 「厄介な問題」; focuses on being hard to deal with.
• Related面倒めんどうNeutralA na-adjective: bothersome, as in 「面倒な手続き」; focuses on the effort involved.
• RelatedめんどくさいCasualAn adjective: 'such a hassle', colloquial; focuses on not wanting to do something.
• Related手ごわいてごわいNeutralAn adjective: hard to deal with, as in 「手ごわい相手」, mostly of opponents; 「難い」 is a general 'hard to do'.
• RelatedきついCasualAn adjective: tough, demanding, as in 「仕事がきつい」; colloquial.
• RelatedつらいNeutralAn adjective: painful, hard to bear, as in 「辛い経験」; focuses on emotional torment.
• Related複雑ふくざつNeutralA na-adjective: complicated, as in 「複雑な事情」; focuses on many tangled threads.
• Related大変たいへんNeutralA na-adjective: a lot to handle, as in 「大変な仕事」; common in speech.
• Related難解なんかいWrittenA na-adjective: hard to understand, as in 「難解な文章」, mostly of texts and theories.
• Related苦しいくるしいNeutralAn adjective: painful, as in 「苦しい立場」; focuses on a difficult situation.
• Related厳しいきびしいNeutralAn adjective: severe, as in 「厳しい状況」; focuses on harsh conditions.
• Related煩雑はんざつWrittenA na-adjective: overly complicated, as in 「煩雑な手続き」; leans written.
• Related険しいけわしいNeutralAn adjective: steep, as in 「険しい道」; also figuratively a hard road ahead.
• Related煩わしいわずらわしいNeutralAn adjective: irksome, as in 「煩わしい人間関係」; focuses on being a nuisance.
• RelatedしんどいCasualAn adjective: exhausting, hard going; Kansai colloquial.
• RelatedハードCasualA loanword: tough, grueling, as in 「ハードな練習」; colloquial.
• RelatedめんどいCasualSlang: 'a pain', a clipped form of 「面倒くさい」.
• RelatedややこしいCasualAn adjective: convoluted, as in 「ややこしい話」; colloquial.
• AntonymやすいNeutralEasy, a written word, as in 「言うは易く行うは難し」; the opposite of 「難い」, meaning difficult.
• Antonym簡単だNeutralSimple, easy, as in 「簡単な問題」; everyday, the opposite of written 「難い」.

「難い（かたい）」 is a written word for 'difficult', seen mostly in 「想像に難くない」. After a verb stem it is read 「がたい」, as in 「信じ難い」. In everyday speech say 「難しい」; in formal contexts, 「困難」. The opposite is 「易い」.

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

1. むずかしい。しにくい。