How to Say ‘But it's a bit difficult.’ in Japanese
でも、ちょっと難しくて。
de mo chotto muzukashiku te
[deh moh chotto moo-zoo-KAH-shee-koo te]
💬 Usage Tip: Ending on 難しくて (muzukashikute), the "and..." form, leaves the sentence trailing off on purpose, like "it's a bit hard, so...".
🇯🇵 In Japan: Leaving a sentence unfinished like this is a soft, very Japanese way to hint at something and let the other person fill the gap, here opening the door to an offer of help.
Phrase Breakdown
でも、ちょっと
de mo chotto
But, a little
でも means 'but'. ちょっと means 'a little' and softens what follows.
でも、ちょっと高いです。
But it's a little expensive.
Words in this phrase
で
de
[deh]
but (part of でも)
First half of でも, a conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however' at the start of a sentence.
でも、高いです。
But it's expensive.
も
mo
[moh]
but (part of でも)
Second half of でも; together they mean 'but; however'.
でも、大丈夫です。
But it's okay.
ちょっと
chotto
[chotto]
a little
Indicating a small quantity or amount.
ちょっと待って。
Wait a little.
難しくて。
muzukashiku te
it's difficult (so...).
The て-form of 難しい (muzukashii). Ending on て leaves the sentence trailing off softly.
漢字が難しくて。
Kanji is difficult, so...
Words in this phrase
難しく
muzukashiku
[moo-zoo-KAH-shee-koo]
difficult (connecting form)
A form of the i-adjective 難しい (difficult). It joins with て to give a reason or to trail off softly.
この問題は難しくて、わかりません。
This problem is hard, so I don't understand it.
て
te
[te]
indicates a connection
Connecting particle used in various grammatical structures.
駅に向かっている。
Heading towards the station.
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