Synonym Comparison
The Nuance Difference: "難しい" vs "易しい"
Master the exact conceptual boundary between these Japanese terms.
Japanese Term A
難しい
むずかしい (muzukashii)
A1 / CEFR Syllabus
VS
Japanese Term B
易しい
やさしい (yasashii)
A1 / CEFR Syllabus
Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
In Japanese, both 難しい and 易しい are often translated to English but have distinct usages.
難しい (むずかしい (muzukashii)) represents "difficult" (Level: A1) and typically represents Essential structural term in CEFR A1 vocabulary syllabus..
On the other hand, 易しい (やさしい (yasashii)) translates to "easy" (Level: A1) and is used for Essential structural term in CEFR A1 vocabulary syllabus.. Mixing these up can sound unnatural to native Japanese speakers!
Bilingual Sentence for "難しい"
これはとても難しいですね。
This is very difficult, isn't it?
Bilingual Sentence for "易しい"
これはとても易しいですね。
This is very easy, isn't it?
Nuance Mastery Quiz
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "これはとても ＿＿＿ ですね。" (Meaning: "This is very difficult, isn't it?")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "難しい" fits here because it represents "difficult" in the context: "This is very difficult, isn't it?".