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Languages Study | Languages of the East | Japanese III

AUDIO 448 | GRAMMAR II - 20.06 :  ~yasui / ~nikui
 
Grammar II - 20.06 Grammar L4 - 010 Menu - Grammar

～やすい / ～にくい

 ~yasui / ~nikui
 

You can describe something that is "easy to do" or "hard to do" by adding the suffix
やすい - yasui or にくい - nikui, respectively.
  A verb stem + yasui conjugates like an i-adjective.

Note that yasui as a separate word means "cheap" and not "easy." "Easy (simple)" is yasashii.
 

tsukau - tsukai-yasui
このコンピューターは使いやすいです。 This computer is easy to use.

kono konpyuutaa-wa tsukai yasui desu.

  
 

yomu - yomi-yasui
この本は読みやすかったです。 This book was easy to read.

kono hon-wa yomi-yasu-katta desu.

  
   
  If something is "hard-to-do," you can use another i-adjective-forming suffix nikui with a verb stem.
 

taberu - tabe-nikui
（骨が多くて）魚は食べにくいです。 (Because they have many bones), fish are hard to eat.
 (hone-ga ookute, ) sakana-ga tabe-nikui desu.  
   
  Sometimes, the subject of a ~yasui / ~nikui sentence is a place (where it is easy/difficult to do something in), a tool (easy/difficult to do something with), and so forth.
この町はとても住みやすいです。 This town is quite livable. 

kono machi-wa totemo sumi-yasui desu.

  
このコップは飲みにくいです。 This glass is hard to drink from. 
kono koppu-wa nomi-nikui desu.  
   
  ~yasui and ~nikui focus on the psychological ease or difficulty of doing something.
It is therefore odd to use them when the difficulty is defined in terms of a physical or statistical success rate.
  Thus compare:
この椅子は座りにくい。

This chair is hard to sit on. (= uncomfortable)

kono isu-wa suwari-nikui.

  
この椅子に座るのは難しい。 It is hard to sit on this chair. (= too many people vying for one chair)
kono isu-ni suwaru-no-wa muzukashii.  
この雑誌は買いにくい。 It is embarrassing to buy this magazine, (= you are unwilling)
kono zasshi-wa kai-nikui.  
この雑誌を買うのは難しい。 This magazine is hard to buy. (= small circulation; hard to come by)
kono zasshi-o kau-no-wa muzukashii.