Muzukashii is the Japanese word for ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’, explained

What does “muzukashii” mean in Japanese?

Japanese people say “muzukashii” to mean ‘difficult’ or just ‘hard’ in Japanese. In this blog post, I will explain this word with an example sentence. And also, I will explain its major conjugations which Japanese people often use. My explanations would help Japanese learners to use “muzukashii” more properly. Then, let’s get started!

Contents

• Definition and meanings of “muzukashii”
  • Example #1: how to say “difficult” in Japanese
• Nai form of “muzukashii”
  • Example #2: how to say “not difficult” in Japanese
• Ta form of “muzukashii”
  • Example #3: how to say “was difficult” in Japanese
• Te form of “muzukashii”
  • Example #4: how to say “difficult and” in Japanese
• Ba form of “muzukashii”
  • Example #5: how to say “if difficult” in Japanese
• Summary

Definition and meanings of “muzukashii”

Let me start with the definition and meanings of “muzukashii”.

• muzukashii – 難しい (むずかしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’ in Japanese.

Japanese people normally use this i-adjective to describe something difficult to do. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #1: how to say “difficult” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• kono – この : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “shigoto” to say “this work” in Japanese.
• shigoto – 仕事 (しごと) : a noun meaning ‘work’ in Japanese.
• wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this is used after the noun phrase, “kono shigoto”, to make the subject in the sentence.

This is a typical usage of “muzukashii”. When we want to say “difficult” in Japanese, it would be the best choice. In the example, it works as a complement. Like other adjectives, however, it can also work as a modifier before a noun. Actually, we can say “muzukashii shigoto” to mean ‘difficult work’ in Japanese. So, it can work in more or less the same way as the English adjective, “difficult”, does. It’s worth knowing, I think.

So far, I’ve explained “muzukashii” and how to use it through the example sentence. In the rest part of this blog post, I will explain its major conjugations. The first one is “muzukashikunai”.

Nai form of “muzukashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “muzukashikunai”.

• muzukashikunai – 難しくない (むずかしくない) : the nai form of “muzukashii”, meaning ‘not difficult’ or ‘not hard’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “muzukashikunai” consists of the following two parts:

• muzukashiku – 難しく (むずかしく) : one conjugation of “muzukashii”. This can have a smooth connection with “nai”.
• nai – ない : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to deny its meaning. Word orders in Japanese and English are different, but the role of this auxiliary verb is similar to that of “not”.

From these two components, we can understand that “muzukashikunai” is literally the nai form of “muzukashii” and means ‘not difficult’ or ‘not hard’ in Japanese. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.

Example #2: how to say “not difficult” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• watashi – 私 (わたし) : a pronoun meaning ‘I’ in Japanese.
• no – の : a case particle used after a noun or pronoun to make its possessive case. In the example, this is used after “watashi” to make its possessive case, “watashi no“, which means ‘my’ in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “muzukashikunai”. When we want to say “not difficult” in Japanese, this nai form is a very good option.

Ta form of “muzukashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “muzukashikatta”.

• muzukashikatta – 難しかった (むずかしかった) : the ta form of “muzukashii”, meaning ‘was difficult’, ‘were difficult’, ‘was hard’, ‘were hard’, or such in Japanese.

Grammatically, “muzukashikatta” consists of the following two parts:

• muzukashikat – 難しかっ (むずかしかっ) : one conjugation of “muzukashii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ta”.
• ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ta form.

From these two components, we can understand that “muzukashikatta” is literally the ta form of “muzukashii”. In Japanese, ta forms of words can work as their past tense forms. So, we can use “muzukashikatta” to mean ‘was difficult’, ‘were difficult’, ‘was hard’, ‘were hard’, or such in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #3: how to say “was difficult” in Japanese

Below is the new word used in the example sentence.

• ano – あの : a determiner used before a noun referring to a thing not close to the speaker. In the example, this is used before “shigoto” to say “that work” in Japanese.

This is a typical usage of “muzukashikatta”. When we want to use the past tense form of “muzukashii”, this ta form is the best choice.

Te form of “muzukashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “muzukashikute”.

• muzukashikute – 難しくて (むずかしくて) : the te form of “muzukashii”, meaning ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “muzukashikute” consists of the following two parts:

• muzukashiku – 難しく (むずかしく) : one conjugation of “muzukashii”. This can have a smooth connection with “te”.
• te – て : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its te form.

From these two components, we can understand that “muzukashikute” is literally the te form of “muzukashii”. In Japanese, te forms of words have some important roles. One of them is make smooth connections of words. Actually, “muzukashikute” is very useful when we want to use “muzukashii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #4: how to say “difficult and” in Japanese

Below are the new words used in the example sentence.

• fukuzatsu – 複雑 (ふくざつ) : one conjugation of the na-adjective, “fukuzatsuna”, which means ‘complicated’ in Japanese.
• desu – です : an auxiliary verb used after a noun or adjective to make it sound polite. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese desu form. In the example, this is used after “fukuzatsu” to make it sound polite.

This is a typical usage of “muzukashikute”. In the example, it has the smooth connection with the conjugated na-adjective, “fukuzatsu”. When we want to use “muzukashii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, its te form is very useful.

Ba form of “muzukashii”

Below are the definition and meanings of “muzukashikereba”.

• muzukashikereba – 難しければ (むずかしければ) : the ba form of “muzukashii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’ in Japanese.

Grammatically, “muzukashikereba” consists of the following two parts:

• muzukashikere – 難しけれ (むずかしけれ) : one conjugation of “muzukashii”. This can have a smooth connection with “ba”.
• ba – ば : a conjunctive particle used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its ba form.

From these two components, we can understand that “muzukashikereba” is literally the ba form of “muzukashii”. In Japanese, ba forms of words can work as their conditional forms. So, we can use “muzukashikereba” to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’ in Japanese. Let me explain this usage through the example sentence below.

Example #5: how to say “if difficult” in Japanese

Below are the new words and particle used in the example sentence.

• ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “kono shigoto” to make the subject in the conditional clause.
• tasuke – 助け (たすけ) : a noun meaning ‘help’ in Japanese.
• wo – を : a case particle used to make the object word in a sentence. In the example, this is used after “tasuke” to make the object word in the second clause.
• motome – 求め (もとめ) : one conjugation of the verb, “motomeru”, which means ‘to ask for’ in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
• te – て : the same as used in “muzukashikute”. In this example, this is used after “motome” to make its te form, “motome te”. Verbs need to be changed to their te forms to be connected with “kudasai”.
• kudasai – ください : the command form of the verb, “kudasaru”, which means ‘to give’ in Japanese. When this follows a te-formed verb, however, it can work as an auxiliary verb to add the meaning of ‘please’. In the example, this works as an auxiliary verb.

This is a typical usage of “muzukashikereba”. In the example, it works as a part of the conditional clause, “kono shigoto ga muzukashikereba”, which means ‘if this work is difficult for you’. When we want to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’, this ba form is useful.

Summary

In this blog post, I’ve explained the i-adjective, “muzukashii”, and its major conjugations. And also, I’ve explained how to use them through the example sentences. Let me summarize them as follows.

• muzukashii – 難しい (むずかしい) : an i-adjective meaning ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’ in Japanese. This can work as both a modifier and a complement.
• muzukashikunai – 難しくない (むずかしくない) : the nai form of “muzukashii”, meaning ‘not difficult’ or ‘not hard’ in Japanese.
• muzukashikatta – 難しかった (むずかしかった) : the ta form of “muzukashii”, meaning ‘was difficult’, ‘were difficult’, ‘was hard’, ‘were hard’, or such in Japanese. This is the past tense form of “muzukashii”.
• muzukashikute – 難しくて (むずかしくて) : the te form of “muzukashii”, meaning ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’ in Japanese. When we want to use “muzukashii” before another adjective or a verb with a smooth connection, this te form is very useful.
• muzukashikereba – 難しければ (むずかしければ) : the ba form of “muzukashii”, working to make a conditional clause in a sentence with the meaning of ‘difficult’ or ‘hard’ in Japanese.

Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.