拙い
つたない
clumsy, poor (skill)
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
拙い文章で恐縮です。
つたないぶんしょうできょうしゅくです。
I apologize for my poor writing.
拙い日本語ですみません。
つたないにほんごですみません。
Sorry for my clumsy Japanese.
拙い説明ながら、要点は伝わったようだ。
つたないせつめいながら、ようてんはつたわったようだ。
Clumsy as my explanation was, the main points seem to have got across.
Common patterns
- 拙い文章
- poor writing
- 拙い日本語
- clumsy Japanese
- 拙い説明
- an inept explanation
Memory tip
Mostly used of your own skill as polite self-deprecation — 拙い日本語ですが is a standard opener. Applied to someone else's work it is genuinely cutting. The same kanji is also read まずい, meaning 'awkward, inadvisable'.
Kanji in this word
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What does 拙い mean?