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How to Say ‘Not good at; weak at’ in Japanese

苦手

nigate

[nee-gah-teh]

💬 Usage Tip: [苦手] often pairs with [が] for what someone is bad at: [人前で話すのが苦手です]. Compare it with [得意] for strengths: [説明するのが得意です].

Phrase Breakdown

苦手

nigate

[nee-gah-teh]

not good at; weak in

Often used as 苦手です or 苦手な to describe a weakness. Interview-friendly when paired with effort to improve.

Example

私は数字の説明が苦手ですが練習しています。

I’m not good at explaining numbers, but I’m practicing.

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