〜がたい
-gatai
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Meaning
hard to ..., can hardly ...
〜がたい means "hard to…, can hardly…" in a psychological sense: hard to believe, hard to forgive, hard to accept. It says the action is emotionally or morally difficult, not that it is physically tricky.
書き言葉 and formal speech; it sounds stiff in casual talk. It attaches to a limited set of verbs: 信じる, 理解する, 受け入れる, 許す, 想像する, 耐える, 忘れる, 言う, 動かす (動かしがたい事実). For physical difficulty use 〜にくい.
Formation
V = verb, N = noun, A = adjective.
Vます + がたい
Visual diagram
| Aspect | Kind of difficulty | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜がたい | psychological / moral | 信じがたい話 (hard to believe) |
| 〜にくい | physical / practical | 読みにくい字 (hard to read) |
| 〜かねる | politely unable | お答えしかねます (cannot answer) |
Natural examples
彼の話は信じがたい。
かれのはなしはしんじがたい。
His story is hard to believe.
信じがたい: emotionally hard to accept as true.
それは理解しがたい行動だ。
それはりかいしがたいこうどうだ。
That is behavior that is hard to understand.
理解しがたい modifying a noun.
忘れがたい思い出になった。
わすれがたいおもいでになった。
It became an unforgettable memory.
忘れがたい思い出: a set expression.
彼の裏切りは許しがたい。
かれのうらぎりはゆるしがたい。
His betrayal is unforgivable.
Moral difficulty.
これは動かしがたい事実である。
これはうごかしがたいじじつである。
This is an undeniable fact.
Set phrase: 動かしがたい事実.
Similar grammar and the difference
〜にくい
Physical or practical difficulty (歩きにくい・分かりにくい). がたい is about feelings and judgment.
Polite "cannot" for the speaker's own action (お受けしかねます). Compare side by side
〜づらい
Difficulty felt by the doer, often physical or social (言いづらい). More colloquial.
Common mistakes
- ✗
- この字は小さくて読みがたい。
- ✓
- この字は小さくて読みにくい。
- Why
- Physical difficulty takes にくい.
- ✗
- 彼の話は信じるがたい。
- ✓
- 彼の話は信じがたい。
- Why
- がたい attaches to the Vます stem.
- ✗
- この料理は食べがたい。
- ✓
- この料理は食べにくい。
- Why
- Eating is a physical action; がたい would sound as if it were morally hard to eat.
Set phrases: 信じがたい, 耐えがたい, 忘れがたい, 得がたい (rare, precious), 動かしがたい, 言いがたい, 名状しがたい. Modifies nouns directly: 理解しがたい行動. It does not mean "impossible": 信じがたいが本当だ (hard to believe, but true) is natural.
JLPT N2 tips
On the exam
- A verb of judgment or emotion (信じる・理解する・許す・受け入れる) before the blank → がたい.
- Distractors: にくい, かねる, づらい. A concrete physical verb (読む・歩く・使う) rules out がたい.
- Remember the stem attachment (信じがたい, not 信じるがたい) for form-choice questions.
Frequently asked questions
What does 〜がたい mean?
hard to ..., can hardly ... 〜がたい means "hard to…, can hardly…" in a psychological sense: hard to believe, hard to forgive, hard to accept. It says the action is emotionally or morally difficult, not that it is physically tricky.
How do you form 〜がたい?
Vます + がたい. V = verb, N = noun, A = adjective.
When is 〜がたい used?
書き言葉 and formal speech; it sounds stiff in casual talk. It attaches to a limited set of verbs: 信じる, 理解する, 受け入れる, 許す, 想像する, 耐える, 忘れる, 言う, 動かす (動かしがたい事実). For physical difficulty use 〜にくい.
What is the difference between 〜がたい and 〜にくい?
Physical or practical difficulty (歩きにくい・分かりにくい). がたい is about feelings and judgment.
What is the difference between 〜がたい and 〜かねる?
Polite "cannot" for the speaker's own action (お受けしかねます).
What is a common mistake with 〜がたい?
Wrong: この字は小さくて読みがたい。 Right: この字は小さくて読みにくい。 Physical difficulty takes にくい.
Quick check
彼が犯人だとは、とても信じ（ ）。