がたいgatai“very difficult to; hard to”

がたい means very difficult to; hard to ~ (emotionally or physically challenging). It is a JLPT N3 grammar pattern used to express that an action is extremely difficult to perform, often due to emotional resistance.

This grammar point often appears in neutral to formal Japanese. If you want to express extreme difficulty, often with emotional or psychological weight, がたい is a useful pattern to learn.

What does がたい mean?

Use がたい when you want to express that an action is extremely difficult to perform, often due to emotional resistance.

Natural translations include:

• very difficult to; hard to ~
• very difficult to; hard to ~ (emotionally or physically challenging)
• very difficult to; hard to

How to form がたい

Verb stem + がたい

Examples of the pattern:

• 信じがたい
• 理解しがたい
• 受け入れがたい

When is がたい used?

Use がたい in situations like:

• expressing hesitation
• emotional difficulty
• physical challenge

Tone and register:

• neutral to formal
• Common in expressing hesitation, test questions, and written narratives

がたい example sentences

• そのニュースは信じがたい。 — That news is hard to believe.
• 彼の成功は予想しがたかった。 — His success was difficult to predict.
• 言いがたい気持ちがある。 — There’s a feeling that’s hard to put into words.
• この問題は解決しがたい。 — This problem is hard to solve.
• 親の死は受け入れがたい。 — A parent’s death is difficult to accept.

After reading each sentence, ask what job がたい is doing: expressing that an action is extremely difficult to perform, often due to emotional resistance.

Nuance of がたい

The key nuance is often implies emotional or psychological resistance, not just physical difficulty.

This matters because 〜がたい is more than hard. It suggests that something feels almost impossible because of the weight it carries. It is common in serious or reflective contexts.

For example:

• In expressing hesitation, it sounds natural and specific.
• Compared with にくい, it carries a different weight and implication.

がたい vs にくい

Both がたい and にくい can express very difficult to, but they are different.

がたい:

• means very difficult to do; carries emotional or psychological weight

にくい:

• means hard to do; usually physical or procedural difficulty

Quick contrast examples:

• 食べにくい。 — Hard to eat (physically awkward).
• 食べがたい。 — Difficult to eat (emotionally hard, e.g., food after a loss).

Common mistakes with がたい

Watch out for these mistakes:

• Using it for simple physical inconvenience where 〜にくい is better
• Attaching it to the dictionary form instead of the verb stem
• Using it in casual conversation where it sounds overly dramatic

A helpful practice method is to write one sentence with がたい, then rewrite it with にくい.

Is がたい on the JLPT?

Yes. がたい is commonly taught as JLPT N3 grammar.

That means learners should be able to:

• recognize it in reading
• understand its nuance in context
• use it in simple original sentences

Practice questions for がたい

• Say something is hard to believe.
• Express that a situation is difficult to accept.
• Describe a problem that is hard to solve.

Learning path for がたい

To learn がたい efficiently, review the formation first, then compare it with the closest existing grammar point before writing your own sentence.

1. First, make sure you can form がたい without looking at the pattern chart.
2. Next, compare it with にくい.
3. Finally, write sentences where the grammar point’s nuance is necessary; then check whether replacing がたい with にくい changes the meaning.

Related grammar to review next

• にくい — hard to do.

Learn がたい with Hane

If you want to review がたい together with the related patterns above, Hane helps you connect grammar, kanji, and vocabulary in short, focused sessions.

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