難い

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Japanese

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Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
かた
Grade: 6
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
難い (kyūjitai)

From Old Japanese. The meaning developed from 堅い (katai, hard, stiff, immovable) to overtones of difficult.[1][2] 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

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Adjective

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(かた) (katai-i (adverbial (かた) (kataku))

  1. (archaic) difficult
    • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 14, poem 3401:
      , text here:
      (なか)()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()
      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
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This term is seldom used as an independent term in modern Japanese. It appears much more commonly as a suffix, as described below.

Conjugation
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Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term
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.[1][2] The katai changes to gatai as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

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Suffix

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(がた) (-gatai-i (adverbial (がた) (-gataku))

  1. 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[3]
      (とし)(ごろ)よく(くら)べつる人人(ひとびと)なむ、(わか)(がた)(おも)ひて、()しきりに、とかくしつつ、ののしるうちに、()()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
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Usually spelled in hiragana, with the kanji spelling usually reserved for formal contexts.

Conjugation
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Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Derived terms
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Etymology 3

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Kanji in this term
にく
Grade: 6
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
難い (kyūjitai)

Derived as the suffixization of Old Japanese adjective 憎い (nikui, disagreeable, dislikeable, modern “hateful, abominable”).[1][2] Cognate with 憎む (nikumu, to hate).[2]

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Suffix

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(にく) (-nikui-i (adverbial (にく) (-nikuku))

  1. 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
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More commonly spelled in hiragana, as にくい.

Conjugation
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Synonyms
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Antonyms
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Derived terms
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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ 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