Quintuple VS
Synonym Boundary: "易しい", "容易", "〜やすい", "楽な", "手軽"
All represent the core concept "easy", but require precise selection.
Japanese Option A
易しい
やさしい (yasashii)
N5 / CEFR
Japanese Option B
容易
ようい (yōi)
N3 / CEFR
Japanese Option C
〜やすい
〜やすい (yasui)
N3 / CEFR
Japanese Option D
楽な
らくな (raku na)
N3 / CEFR
Japanese Option E
手軽
てがる (tegaru)
N2 / CEFR
Quintuple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
When expressing "easy" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "易しい", "容易", "〜やすい", "楽な", "手軽" based on context.
- 易しい (やさしい (yasashii) - Level: N5): Maps to "easy, simple" and is used when An i-adjective. In the context of difficulty, it means 'simple' or 'not difficult.' Note that '優しい'.
- 容易 (ようい (yōi) - Level: N3): Maps to "easy, simple, light (na-adjective)" and is used when 物事を行うのが簡単であること、または困難なく進められる状態を表します。「簡単」や「やさしい」よりもやや硬い表現で、書き言葉やフォーマルな文脈で使われることが多いです。.
- 〜やすい (〜やすい (yasui) - Level: N3): Maps to "easy to do; prone to; apt to" and is used when Indicates that an action is easy to perform or that something has a tendency to occur. It is attached to the masu-stem.
- 楽な (らくな (raku na) - Level: N3): Maps to "easy; comfortable; relaxed" and is used when A な-adjective used to describe something that is not difficult.
- 手軽 (てがる (tegaru) - Level: N2): Maps to "easy; simple; light; casual; handy" and is used when Often used as an な-adjective.
Context for "易しい"
この問題はとても易しいです。
This problem is very easy.
Context for "容易"
この問題は私にとって非常に容易です。
This problem is very easy for me.
Context for "〜やすい"
このコップは割れやすい。
This glass breaks easily.
Context for "楽な"
この椅子は座り心地が楽だ。
This chair is comfortable to sit in.
Context for "手軽"
手軽に作れるランチレシピを探している。
I'm looking for an easy-to-make lunch recipe.
Synonym Mastery Challenge
Which Japanese word perfectly fits this blank space?
Fill in the blank: "この問題はとても ＿＿＿ です。" (Meaning: "This problem is very easy.")
🎉 Correct Answer!
Remember: "易しい" is correct here because it represents "easy, simple" in the context: "This problem is very easy.".