Master N3 Grammar: Expressing Ease and Difficulty (〜やすい, 〜にくい, 〜づらい)

In Japanese, you can transform a verb to express how easy, difficult, or emotionally challenging an action is by attaching a simple suffix. Today, we will master three essential JLPT N3 suffixes: 〜やすい (yasui), 〜にくい (nikui), and 〜づらい (zurai).

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1. The Core Grammar Construction

All three suffixes attach to the Verb ます-stem (pre-masu form).

Once attached, the entire compound verb morphs into an い-adjective (i-adjective) and conjugates accordingly (e.g., 〜やすくない, 〜にくかった).

$$\text{Verb (Stem Form)} + \begin{cases} \textbf{やすい} & \text{(Easy to do)} \ \textbf{にくい} & \text{(Difficult to do - Objective)} \ \textbf{づらい} & \text{(Painful/Awkward to do - Subjective)} \end{cases}$$

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2. Deep Dive & Nuances

① 〜やすい (Easy to do / Prone to)

This suffix indicates that an action is physically easy to perform, or that something has a natural tendency to occur.

• Example 1 (Ease):
  • このペンは書きやすいです。書
  • Kono pen wa kaki-yasui desu.
  • This pen is easy to write with.
  書
• Example 2 (Tendency):
  • 白い服は汚れやすい。白服汚
  • Shiroi fuku wa yogore-yasui.
  • White clothes get dirty easily (are prone to getting dirty).
  白服汚

② 〜にくい (Hard to do — Objective Difficulty)

Use 〜にくい when external factors, physical obstacles, or the inherent nature of an object make an action difficult. It is objective and logical.

• Example:
  • この漢字は複雑で覚えにくい。漢字複雑覚
  • Kono kanji wa fukuzatsu de oboe-nikui.
  • This kanji is complex and hard to memorize. (Objective fact: complexity makes it hard).
  漢字複雑覚

③ 〜づらい (Hard to do — Subjective/Emotional Difficulty)

Derived from the adjective 辛い (つらい - painful/bitter), 〜づらい (voiced from tsurai to zurai) expresses psychological resistance, emotional pain, or physical discomfort. You want to do the action, but doing so causes you distress or awkwardness.辛

• Example:
  • 相手の連絡先は聞きづらい。相手連絡先聞
  • Aite no renrakusaki wa kiki-zurai.
  • It is awkward/hard to ask for the other person's contact information. (Psychological barrier).
  相手連絡先聞

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3. The Ultimate Showdown: 〜にくい vs 〜づらい

While often interchangeable in casual speech, the distinction is crucial for natural Japanese:

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4. Practice Sentences

1. やすい

   • スマートフォンの画面は大きくて見やすい。画面大見
   • Sumātofon no gamen wa ōkikute mi-yasui.
   • The smartphone screen is big and easy to see.
   画面大見

2. にくい

   • この冬の道路は凍っていて歩きにくい。冬道路凍歩
   • Kono fuyu no dōro wa kootte ite aruki-nikui.
   • The roads this winter are frozen and hard to walk on.
   冬道路凍歩

3. づらい

   • 先生には本当のことを言いづらいです。先生本当言
   • Sensei ni wa hontō no koto o ii-zurai desu.
   • It is hard (emotionally awkward) to tell the truth to the teacher.
   先生本当言

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5. Quick Check!

Choose the correct suffix for the following scenario:

You have a sore throat, making it painful to swallow food.

A) 食べやすい (tabeyasui)
B) 食べにくい (tabenikui)
C) 食べづらい (tabezurai)食

(Answer: C. Because it involves physical pain and subjective discomfort, 食べづらい is the most natural choice!)食