How to Say ‘Hard to understand’ in Japanese
分かりにくかった
wakari nikukatsu ta
[wah-kah-ree nee-koo-kaht tah]
💬 Usage Tip: [分かる]→[分かり]＋[にくい]→[分かりにくい]; past is [分かりにくかった]. Very common feedback phrase.
🇯🇵 In Japan: In Japan, indirect feedback is valued. [分かりにくかったです] communicates the problem politely and invites a clearer redo.
Phrase Breakdown
分かり
wakari
[wah-kah-ree]
understand (stem) (part)
分かり is the stem form used to attach -にくい. 分かりにくい = hard to understand.
説明が分かり にくかったです。
The explanation was hard to understand.
にくかっ
nikukatsu
[nee-koo-kaht]
was hard to (do) (part)
にくかった is the past form of にくい, meaning “was hard to do.”
その話は分かり にくかっ た。
That story was hard to understand.
た
ta
[tah]
(past ending) -ta
Completes the past form: にくかった (was hard to...).
説明が分かりにくかっ たです。
The explanation was hard to understand.
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