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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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kono konpyuutaa-wa tsukai yasui desu. |
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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. |
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If something is "hard-to-do," you can use another i-adjective-forming
suffix nikui with a verb stem. |
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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. |
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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. |
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この町はとても住みやすいです。 |
This town is quite livable. |
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kono machi-wa totemo sumi-yasui desu. |
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| 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. |
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~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. |
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Thus compare: |
| この椅子は座りにくい。 |
This chair is hard to sit on. (= uncomfortable) |
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kono isu-wa suwari-nikui. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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| 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. |
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