Practice JLPTHow to tell them apart
やすい says the action is easy to perform or happens readily, while にくい says it is hard to perform or does not happen readily. The choice depends on whether the verb stem describes something that goes smoothly or meets resistance. Swapping them flips the meaning entirely: 覚えやすい means easy to remember, 覚えにくい means hard to remember, so picking the wrong one states the opposite of what you intend.
- 易い・やすい Use やすい when the action is easy to do or happens readily.
- 難い・にくい Use にくい when the action is hard to do or does not happen readily.
| Grammar point | Meaning | JLPT level |
|---|---|---|
| 易い・やすい i yasui | Easy to | N4 |
| 難い・にくい i nikui | Hard to | N4 |
易い・やすい i yasui
Easy to
Easy to; ready to; be apt to; prone to; do something easily | Something or someone is easy to ~.
-
あの人のうちは見つけ易い。
His house is easy to find.
-
このペンは書き易い。
This pen is easy to write with.
難い・にくい i nikui
Hard to
Hard to ~; difficult to ~; don’t do something easily; not readily; not prone to ~ | Something or someone is hard to ~.
-
あの人の名前は覚えにくい。
His name is hard to remember.
-
あの先生は話しにくいです。
That teacher is hard to talk to.
易い・やすい and 難い・にくい are both JLPT N4 grammar points that Japanese learners often mix up. This page compares them side by side — meanings, usage and example sentences — so you can tell them apart.