# 難い
## Japanese
### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 難
* かた Grade: 6
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 難い (kyūjitai)
From 難し (katashi), from Old Japanese. The meaning developed from 堅い (katai, “hard, stiff, immovable”) to overtones of difficult. Compare the similar development of English hard.
The difficult meaning was already apparent in the Man'yōshū, completed in the latter half of the 700s.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) かたい [kàtáí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ka̠ta̠i]

#### Adjective

難(かた)い • (katai) -i (adverbial 難(かた)く (kataku))
* (archaic) difficult
** c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 14, poem 3401:, text here:
    中(なか)麻(ま)奈(な)尓(に)、宇(う)伎(き)乎(を)流(る)布(ふ)祢(ね)能(の)、許(こ)藝(ぎ)弖(で)奈(な)婆(ば)、安(あ)布(ふ)許(こ)等(と)可(か)多(た)思(し)、家(け)布(ふ)尓(に)思(し)安(あ)良(ら)受(ず)波(は)
       Nakamana ni, ukiworu fune no, kogidenaba, afu koto katasi, kefu ni siarazu fa.
       If you go out rowing the boat floating on the Nakamana [river], meeting would be difficult, if we don't do it today.

##### Usage notes

This term is seldom used as an independent term in modern Japanese. It appears much more commonly as a suffix, as described below.

##### Conjugation

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | 難かろ | かたかろ | katakaro |
| Continuative (連用形) | 難く | かたく | kataku |
| Terminal (終止形) | 難い | かたい | katai |
| Attributive (連体形) | 難い | かたい | katai |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 難けれ | かたけれ | katakere |
| Imperative (命令形) | 難かれ | かたかれ | katakare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 難くない | かたくない | kataku nai |
| Informal past | 難かった | かたかった | katakatta |
| Informal negative past | 難くなかった | かたくなかった | kataku nakatta |
| Formal | 難いです | かたいです | katai desu |
| Formal negative | 難くないです | かたくないです | kataku nai desu |
| Formal past | 難かったです | かたかったです | katakatta desu |
| Formal negative past | 難くなかったです | かたくなかったです | kataku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | 難くて | かたくて | katakute |
| Conditional | 難ければ | かたければ | katakereba |
| Provisional | 難かったら | かたかったら | katakattara |
| Volitional | 難かろう | かたかろう | katakarō |
| Adverbial | 難く | かたく | kataku |
| Degree | 難さ | かたさ | katasa |

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 難
* かた > がた Grade: 6
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 難い (kyūjitai)
Shift in pronunciation from katai above, as this term became more of a fused suffix than an independent term. The katai changes to gatai as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ɡa̠ta̠i]

#### Suffix

難(がた)い • (-gatai) -i (adverbial 難(がた)く (-gataku))
* difficult or hard to do
    This suffix attaches to the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of a verb to express the difficulty of doing the action.
** c. 935: Tosa Nikki, page 3
    年(とし)頃(ごろ)よく比(くら)べつる人人(ひとびと)なむ、別(わか)れ難(がた)く思(おも)ひて、日(ひ)しきりに、とかくしつつ、ののしるうちに、夜(よ)更(ふ)けぬ。
       Toshigoro yoku kurabetsuru hitobito namu, wakaregataku omoite, hi shikiri ni, tokaku shitsutsu, nonoshiru uchi ni, yo fukenu.
       Those who were close for many years found it difficult to part, and while boisterously getting things done all day, the night deepened.

##### Usage notes

Usually spelled in hiragana, with the kanji spelling usually reserved for formal contexts.

##### Conjugation

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | 難かろ | がたかろ | -gatakaro |
| Continuative (連用形) | 難く | がたく | -gataku |
| Terminal (終止形) | 難い | がたい | -gatai |
| Attributive (連体形) | 難い | がたい | -gatai |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 難けれ | がたけれ | -gatakere |
| Imperative (命令形) | 難かれ | がたかれ | -gatakare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 難くない | がたくない | -gataku nai |
| Informal past | 難かった | がたかった | -gatakatta |
| Informal negative past | 難くなかった | がたくなかった | -gataku nakatta |
| Formal | 難いです | がたいです | -gatai desu |
| Formal negative | 難くないです | がたくないです | -gataku nai desu |
| Formal past | 難かったです | がたかったです | -gatakatta desu |
| Formal negative past | 難くなかったです | がたくなかったです | -gataku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | 難くて | がたくて | -gatakute |
| Conditional | 難ければ | がたければ | -gatakereba |
| Provisional | 難かったら | がたかったら | -gatakattara |
| Volitional | 難かろう | がたかろう | -gatakarō |
| Adverbial | 難く | がたく | -gataku |
| Degree | 難さ | がたさ | -gatasa |

##### Synonyms

* 難(にく)い (-nikui) (emphasis on “disagreeable to do”; see below)
* 辛(づら)い (-zurai) (emphasis on “painful to do”)

##### Antonyms

* 易(やす)い (-yasui)

##### Derived terms

* 有(あ)り難(がた)い (arigatai): special; worthy of being thankful for; welcome

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 難
* にく Grade: 6
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spellings
* 難い (kyūjitai) 悪い (rare)
Derived as the suffixization of Old Japanese adjective 憎い (nikui, “disagreeable, dislikeable”, modern “hateful, abominable”). Cognate with 憎む (nikumu, “to hate”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ɲ̟ikɯ̟i]

#### Suffix

難(にく)い • (-nikui) -i (adverbial 難(にく)く (-nikuku))
* difficult or hard to do (emphasis on the disagreeability of performing the action)
    This suffix attaches to the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of a verb to express the difficulty of doing the action.

##### Usage notes

More commonly spelled in hiragana, as にくい.

##### Conjugation

Stem forms :
| Imperfective (未然形) | 難かろ | にくかろ | -nikukaro |
| Continuative (連用形) | 難く | にくく | -nikuku |
| Terminal (終止形) | 難い | にくい | -nikui |
| Attributive (連体形) | 難い | にくい | -nikui |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 難けれ | にくけれ | -nikukere |
| Imperative (命令形) | 難かれ | にくかれ | -nikukare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Informal negative | 難くない | にくくない | -nikuku nai |
| Informal past | 難かった | にくかった | -nikukatta |
| Informal negative past | 難くなかった | にくくなかった | -nikuku nakatta |
| Formal | 難いです | にくいです | -nikui desu |
| Formal negative | 難くないです | にくくないです | -nikuku nai desu |
| Formal past | 難かったです | にくかったです | -nikukatta desu |
| Formal negative past | 難くなかったです | にくくなかったです | -nikuku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | 難くて | にくくて | -nikukute |
| Conditional | 難ければ | にくければ | -nikukereba |
| Provisional | 難かったら | にくかったら | -nikukattara |
| Volitional | 難かろう | にくかろう | -nikukarō |
| Adverbial | 難く | にくく | -nikuku |
| Degree | 難さ | にくさ | -nikusa |

##### Synonyms

* 難(がた)い (-gatai) (emphasis on “hard to do”; see above)
* 辛(づら)い (-zurai) (emphasis on “painful to do”)

##### Antonyms

* 易(やす)い (-yasui)

##### Derived terms

* 見難(みにく)い (minikui): indistinct, hard to see
* 醜(みにく)い (minikui): ugly; ignominious

### References

* 1 2 3 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 5 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ Hasegawa, Masaharu with Yūichirō Imanishi, Hiroshi Itō, Hiroshi Yoshioka (1989) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 24: Tosa Nikki, Kagerō Nikki, Murasaki Shikibu Nikki, Sarashina Nikki, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN