How do you say "It's a little hard to hear." in Japanese?

"It's a little hard to hear." in Japanese is "ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。". This phrase is commonly used in Japan.

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How to Say ‘It's a little hard to hear.’ in Japanese

Q: What does "ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。" mean in English?

"ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。" means "It's a little hard to hear." in English. Usage tip: [聞こえにくい] means "hard to hear," not "I can't hear" absolutely — it sounds softer and less dramatic. That's useful when you want to suggest moving without sounding like you're complaining.

ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。

chotto koe ga kikoe nikui desu

[choht-toh koh-eh gah kee-koh-eh nee-koo-ee dess]

💬 Usage Tip: [聞こえにくい] means "hard to hear," not "I can't hear" absolutely — it sounds softer and less dramatic. That's useful when you want to suggest moving without sounding like you're complaining.

Phrase Breakdown

ちょっと

chotto

[choht-toh]

a little; a bit

Softens the sentence, making it sound polite and less direct.

Example

ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。

Your voice is a little hard to hear.

声

koe

[koh-eh]

voice

Refers to someone’s speaking voice.

Example

ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。

Your voice is a little hard to hear.

が

[gah]

subject marker

Marks 声 as the subject of the sentence.

Example

ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。

Your voice is a little hard to hear.

聞こえにくい

kikoe nikui

hard to hear

An adjective meaning something is not easy to hear.

Example

ここは声が聞こえにくいです。

It is hard to hear voices here.

Words in this phrase

聞こえ

kikoe

[kee-koh-eh]

can hear; be audible

The verb part meaning “to be heard” or “can hear.”

Example

ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。

Your voice is a little hard to hear.

にくい

nikui

[nee-koo-ee]

hard to; difficult to

Shows that hearing is difficult.

Example

ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。

Your voice is a little hard to hear.

です

desu

[dess]

is; it is

Polite sentence ending used to complete the statement.

Example

ちょっと声が聞こえにくいです。

Your voice is a little hard to hear.

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