〜がたい (Hard to - formal)

What is 〜がたい?

〜がたい (gatai) is a formal way to express that something is difficult or hard to do, often with emotional or psychological difficulty. It's more literary and formal than にくい.

English equivalent: "hard to [verb]," "difficult to," "cannot bring oneself to"

Structure: [Verb ます-stem] + がたい

信じる (shinjiru - believe) → 信じ + がたい = 信じがたい
"hard to believe"

許す (yurusu - forgive) → 許し + がたい = 許しがたい
"hard to forgive" / "unforgivable"

忘れる (wasureru - forget) → 忘れ + がたい = 忘れがたい
"hard to forget" / "unforgettable"

Basic Formation

With verb stems

[Verb ます-stem] + がたい

信じがたい (shinjgatai) - "hard to believe"
許しがたい (yurushigatai) - "unforgivable"
忘れがたい (wasuregatai) - "unforgettable"
理解しがたい (rikai shigatai) - "hard to understand"

Emotional Difficulty

Psychological barriers

信じがたい話。
Shinjigatai hanashi.
"A hard-to-believe story."

許しがたい行為。
Yurushigatai koui.
"An unforgivable act."

忘れがたい思い出。
Wasuregatai omoide.
"An unforgettable memory."

耐えがたい苦痛。
Taegatai kutsuu.
"Unbearable pain."

Formal Writing

Literary usage

理解しがたい現象。
Rikai shigatai genshou.
"A phenomenon hard to understand."

受け入れがたい事実。
Ukeigatai jijitsu.
"A fact hard to accept."

想像しがたい状況。
Souzou shigatai joukyou.
"A situation hard to imagine."

Common Expressions

Set phrases

信じがたい (shinjigatai) - "hard to believe" / "unbelievable"
許しがたい (yurushigatai) - "unforgivable"
忘れがたい (wasuregatai) - "unforgettable"
耐えがたい (taegatai) - "unbearable"
理解しがたい (rikai shigatai) - "hard to understand"
受け入れがたい (ukeigatai) - "hard to accept"
想像しがたい (souzou shigatai) - "hard to imagine"
予測しがたい (yosoku shigatai) - "hard to predict"

Expressing Severity

Strong emotions

許しがたい犯罪。
Yurushigatai hanzai.
"An unforgivable crime."

耐えがたい侮辱。
Taegatai bujoku.
"An unbearable insult."

信じがたいほど美しい。
Shinjigatai hodo utsukushii.
"Unbelievably beautiful."

がたい as い-adjective

Functions like an adjective

信じがたい事実 (shinjigatai jijitsu) - "a hard-to-believe fact"
忘れがたい経験 (wasuregatai keiken) - "an unforgettable experience"

信じがたいです。
Shinjigatai desu.
"It's hard to believe." (polite)

忘れがたい一日でした。
Wasuregatai ichinichi deshita.
"It was an unforgettable day."

Negative and Past Forms

Negative:

信じがたくない (shinjgataku nai) - "not hard to believe"

信じがたくないことだ。
Shinjigataku nai koto da.
"It's not hard to believe."

Past:

信じがたかった (shinjigatakatta) - "was hard to believe"

あの時は信じがたかった。
Ano toki wa shinjigatakatta.
"At that time it was hard to believe."

Polite Forms

Casual: 信じがたい
Polite: 信じがたいです
Past: 信じがたかった / 信じがたかったです

信じがたい出来事です。
Shinjigatai dekigoto desu.
"It's a hard-to-believe event."

許しがたい行為でした。
Yurushigatai koui deshita.
"It was an unforgivable act."

Comparing がたい and にくい

Formal vs casual difficulty

がたい - Formal, emotional, severe:

許しがたい (yurushigatai)
"unforgivable" (formal, strong)

信じがたい (shinjigatai)
"hard to believe" (formal)

にくい - General difficulty:

許しにくい (yurushinikui)
"hard to forgive" (neutral)

信じにくい (shinjinikui)
"hard to believe" (neutral)

Pattern	Tone	Example
がたい	Formal/emotional	許しがたい
にくい	Neutral/general	許しにくい

See: 〜にくい (Hard to)

With Abstract Verbs

Intellectual or emotional actions

理解しがたい (rikai shigatai) - "hard to understand"
想像しがたい (souzou shigatai) - "hard to imagine"
予測しがたい (yosoku shigatai) - "hard to predict"
説明しがたい (setsumei shigatai) - "hard to explain"

理解しがたい決定。
Rikai shigatai kettei.
"A hard-to-understand decision."

説明しがたい感覚。
Setsumei shigatai kankaku.
"A hard-to-explain feeling."

Expressing Impossibility

Nearly impossible

耐えがたい暑さ。
Taegatai atsusa.
"Unbearable heat."

受け入れがたい現実。
Ukeigatai genjitsu.
"An unacceptable reality."

信じがたいほど速い。
Shinjigatai hodo hayai.
"Unbelievably fast."

In News and Formal Writing

Journalistic usage

容認しがたい暴力。
Younin shigatai bouryoku.
"Unacceptable violence."

看過しがたい問題。
Kanka shigatai mondai.
"A problem that cannot be overlooked."

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using in casual conversation

がたい is quite formal. にくい or 〜づらい are better for casual speech.

❌ 今日は起きがたい (too formal for daily life)
✓ 今日は起きにくい
✓ 今日は起きづらい

Mistake 2: Wrong verb form

❌ 信じるがたい ✓ 信じがたい

Use ます-stem, not dictionary form.

Mistake 3: Using with physical actions

がたい is better with abstract/emotional verbs, not physical ones.

❌ 走りがたい (unnatural)
✓ 走りにくい

Better with abstract/emotional verbs than physical ones.

### Mistake 4: Using with する verbs incorrectly

❌ 勉強がたい
✓ 理解しがたい

Use the full verb stem: 理解する → 理解し + がたい

## Summary

**Key Points:**

- がたい expresses formal, emotional difficulty
- Formation: [Verb ます-stem] + がたい
- More formal and literary than にくい
- Often implies psychological or emotional barriers
- Common with: 信じる, 許す, 忘れる, 耐える, 理解する
- Functions as an い-adjective
- Used in formal writing, news, literature
- For casual speech, use にくい or づらい instead
- Essential for formal and emotional expressions