When learning Japanese, you’ll often want to say something is easy to do or difficult to do. In English, you might say:

This pen is easy to use.
Chopsticks are difficult to use.

In Japanese, we use ～やすい and ～にくい for this. Let’s break it down! ✨

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1. Basic Meanings

Ending	Meaning	Feeling
～やすい	Easy to do	Feels simple or comfortable
～にくい	Difficult to do	Feels hard, inconvenient, or uncomfortable

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2. How to Use

1. Take the ます-form stem of a verb.
   • Example: 食べます → 食べ
2. Add やすい or にくい.

Formula:

Verb stem + やすい → easy to do
Verb stem + にくい → difficult to do

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3. Example Sentences

～やすい (Easy to do)

• このペンは書かきやすいです。
  This pen is easy to write with.
• このスマホは使つかいやすいです。
  This smartphone is easy to use.
• あの先生せんせいは話はなしやすいです。
  That teacher is easy to talk to.

～にくい (Difficult to do)

• このドアは開あけにくいです。
  This door is hard to open.
• 骨ほねが多おおくて食たべにくい魚さかなです。
  This fish has many bones and is hard to eat.
• 小ちいさい字じは読よみ にくいです。
  Small letters are hard to read.

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4. Tips for Natural Use 💡

• It’s about the feeling: ～やすい and ～にくい describe your impression, not absolute fact.
• Often used for tools, people, and situations:
  • Tools: ペン、スマホ、ドア
  • People: 話(はな)しやすい人(ひと) – easy to talk to person
  • Situations: 見(み)にくい天気(てんき) – hard to see because of weather
• Can also be used for personality feelings:
  • あの人は話(はな)しにくい。
    It’s hard to talk to that person.

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5. Quick Practice 📝

Translate into Japanese:

1. This chair is easy to sit on. →
   
2. That kanji is hard to remember. →
   
3. The soup is hot and hard to drink. →
   
4. This restaurant is easy to find. →
   
5. My name is difficult to pronounce. →

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By mastering ～やすい and ～にくい, you’ll be able to describe your experiences much more naturally in Japanese! Next time you find a pen that’s a dream to write with, you’ll know exactly what to say. 😉

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