〜づらい (Hard to - feeling)

What is 〜づらい?

〜づらい (zurai) expresses subjective difficulty or discomfort in doing something. It emphasizes how the speaker personally feels about the action, often focusing on psychological or emotional difficulty.

English equivalent: "hard to [verb]," "uncomfortable to," "difficult to"

Structure: [Verb ます-stem] + づらい

言う (iu - say) → 言い + づらい = 言いづらい
"hard to say" (emotionally)

食べる (taberu - eat) → 食べ + づらい = 食べづらい
"hard to eat" (uncomfortable)

使う (tsukau - use) → 使い + づらい = 使いづらい
"hard to use" (feels awkward)

Basic Formation

With verb stems

[Verb ます-stem] + づらい

言いづらい (iizurai) - "hard to say"
食べづらい (tabezurai) - "hard to eat"
使いづらい (tsukaizurai) - "hard to use"
やりづらい (yarizurai) - "hard to do"

Psychological Discomfort

Emotional difficulty

言いづらいことがある。
Iizurai koto ga aru.
"There's something hard to say."

聞きづらい質問。
Kikizurai shitsumon.
"A hard-to-ask question."

断りづらい。
Kotowarizurai.
"It's hard to refuse." (emotionally)

頼みづらい。
Tanomizurai.
"It's hard to ask (for a favor)."

Physical Discomfort

Uncomfortable actions

この椅子は座りづらい。
Kono isu wa suwarizurai.
"This chair is uncomfortable to sit on."

食べづらい大きさ。
Tabezurai ookisa.
"An awkward size to eat."

持ちづらい形。
Mochizurai katachi.
"An awkward shape to hold."

着づらい服。
Kizurai fuku.
"Clothes that are hard to wear."

Social Awkwardness

Interpersonal difficulty

話しづらい雰囲気。
Hanashizurai fun'iki.
"An atmosphere where it's hard to talk."

相談しづらい。
Soudan shizurai.
"It's hard to consult (about this)."

近づきづらい人。
Chikazukizurai hito.
"A person who's hard to approach."

付き合いづらい。
Tsukiaizurai.
"Hard to get along with."

Work and Activities

Task-related difficulty

やりづらい仕事。
Yarizurai shigoto.
"Work that's hard to do."

働きづらい環境。
Hatarakizurai kankyou.
"An environment hard to work in."

動きづらい服装。
Ugokizurai fukusou.
"Clothing hard to move in."

書きづらいペン。
Kakizurai pen.
"A pen that's hard to write with."

Comparing づらい and にくい

Subjective vs objective

づらい - Subjective feeling:

言いづらい (iizurai)
"hard to say" (I feel uncomfortable saying it)

食べづらい (tabezurai)
"hard to eat" (it feels awkward to eat)

にくい - Objective difficulty:

言いにくい (iinikui)
"hard to say" (objectively difficult)

食べにくい (tabenikui)
"hard to eat" (physically difficult)

Pattern	Focus	Example
づらい	Subjective feeling	言いづらい
にくい	Objective difficulty	言いにくい

See: 〜にくい (Hard to)

Common Expressions

言いづらい (iizurai) - "hard to say"
聞きづらい (kikizurai) - "hard to ask"
食べづらい (tabezurai) - "hard to eat"
使いづらい (tsukaizurai) - "hard to use"
やりづらい (yarizurai) - "hard to do"
働きづらい (hatarakizurai) - "hard to work"
話しづらい (hanashizurai) - "hard to talk"
断りづらい (kotowarizurai) - "hard to refuse"
頼みづらい (tanomizurai) - "hard to ask for"
相談しづらい (soudan shizurai) - "hard to consult about"

づらい as い-adjective

Functions like an adjective

言いづらいこと (iizurai koto) - "a hard-to-say thing"
使いづらい道具 (tsukaizurai dougu) - "hard-to-use tools"

言いづらいです。
Iizurai desu.
"It's hard to say." (polite)

とても食べづらかった。
Totemo tabezurakatta.
"It was very hard to eat."

Modifying づらい

Negative and past forms

Negative:

言いづらくない (iizuraku nai) - "not hard to say"

別に言いづらくない。
Betsu ni iizuraku nai.
"It's not particularly hard to say."

Past:

言いづらかった (iizurakatta) - "was hard to say"

昨日は話しづらかった。
Kinou wa hanashizurakatta.
"Yesterday it was hard to talk."

Polite Forms

Casual: 言いづらい
Polite: 言いづらいです
Negative: 言いづらくない / 言いづらくないです
Past: 言いづらかった / 言いづらかったです

これは言いづらいです。
Kore wa iizurai desu.
"This is hard to say."

少し聞きづらかったです。
Sukoshi kikizurakatta desu.
"It was a bit hard to ask."

Expressing Hesitation

Being tactful

ちょっと言いづらいんだけど...
Chotto iizurai n da kedo...
"This is a bit hard to say, but..."

聞きづらいことなんですが...
Kikizurai koto nan desu ga...
"This is hard to ask, but..."

断りづらいんですけど、無理です。
Kotowarizurai n desu kedo, muri desu.
"It's hard to refuse, but I can't."

With Environment and Atmosphere

Uncomfortable situations

居づらい雰囲気。
Izurai fun'iki.
"An uncomfortable atmosphere."

暮らしづらい街。
Kurashizurai machi.
"A city that's hard to live in."

過ごしづらい季節。
Sugoshizurai kisetsu.
"A season that's hard to get through."

Personal Feelings

Individual perspective

私には使いづらい。
Watashi ni wa tsukaizurai.
"It's hard for me to use."

彼とは話しづらい。
Kare to wa hanashizurai.
"It's hard to talk with him."

この靴は歩きづらい。
Kono kutsu wa arukizurai.
"These shoes are hard to walk in."

Comparing with Other Difficulty Patterns

づらい vs にくい vs がたい

づらい - Subjective/emotional:

言いづらい (iizurai)
"hard to say" (I feel uncomfortable)

にくい - Objective:

言いにくい (iinikui)
"hard to say" (objectively difficult)

がたい - Formal/severe:

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

Pattern	Usage	Tone
づらい	Subjective feeling	Casual/neutral
にくい	Objective difficulty	Neutral
がたい	Formal/emotional	Formal

Common Mistakes

Mistake 1: Using wrong verb form

❌ 言うづらい ✓ 言いづらい

Use ます-stem, not dictionary form.

Mistake 2: Not understanding the subjective nuance

づらい emphasizes personal feeling, not just difficulty.

言いづらい = "I feel it's hard to say" (subjective)
言いにくい = "It's objectively hard to say"

Mistake 3: Confusing づ and ず

Remember: it's づらい (with voiced consonant), not ずらい.

✓ 言いづらい (iizurai)
❌ 言いずらい (iizurai - wrong spelling)

Mistake 4: Using with する verbs incorrectly

❌ 勉強づらい ✓ 勉強しづらい

勉強する → 勉強し + づらい

Summary

Key Points:

• づらい expresses subjective, personal difficulty
• Formation: [Verb ます-stem] + づらい
• Emphasizes how something feels to the speaker
• Often involves emotional or psychological discomfort
• Common with: 言う, 聞く, 食べる, 使う, やる
• Functions as an い-adjective
• More casual than がたい
• Different from にくい (objective difficulty)
• Essential for expressing personal feelings about difficulty