🇯🇵 How to say

“difficult” in Japanese

難しいむずかしい
Illustration of "difficult" in a Japanese cultural setting
A person sits at a desk late at night, surrounded by stacks of papers and a computer screen filled with complex graphs. Their tired expression shows they are struggling to understand the dense material in front of them.

Usage note

You can use 難しい for anything that is hard to do, understand, or solve, from a tough job to a difficult question. It's a very common and useful word for learners.

Examples

  • この仕事は難しいです。

    This work is difficult.

  • 難しい問題があります。

    I have a difficult problem.

  • 日本語の勉強は難しいですか？

    Is studying Japanese difficult?

Quick check

What does "難しい" mean?

  • A. difficult
  • B. expensive
  • C. short
  • D. clean

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