Quadruple VS
Synonym Boundary: "易しい", "簡単な", "〜やすい", "楽な"
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
簡単な
かんたんな (kantan na)
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
Quadruple VS Nuance Contrast & Social Differences
When expressing "easy" in Japanese, you must carefully distinguish between "易しい", "簡単な", "〜やすい", "楽な" 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'.
- 簡単な (かんたんな (kantan na) - Level: N3): Maps to "easy, simple" and is used when Refers to something that is not difficult or complicated to do, understand, or solve..
- 〜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.
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 "簡単な"
この問題は私にとって簡単です。
This problem is 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.
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.".