下手 vs 苦手
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
下手 means your skill is poor, and that is all it means. 苦手 covers both being weak at something and simply not liking or not coping with it, which is why 私は虫が苦手です (I can't deal with insects) and ピーマンが苦手です (I don't like green peppers) work — 下手 could never be used for either. 苦手 is also softer, so it is the normal choice about yourself.
When to use each
下手
へた
Use 下手 only for a genuine lack of skill at something you do — cooking, singing, handwriting, a sport. It is blunt, so it is fine about yourself but rude about the person you are speaking to.
私は絵が下手です。
わたしはえがへたです。
I'm bad at drawing.
歌は下手ですが、大好きです。
うたはへたですが、だいすきです。
I'm a terrible singer, but I love it.
苦手
にがて
Use 苦手 for anything you are weak at, uncomfortable with, or would rather avoid — a school subject, a food, insects, a certain person. It says nothing about skill on its own and is far gentler than 下手.
私は虫が苦手です。
わたしはむしがにがてです。
I really can't deal with insects.
ピーマンが苦手なので、残してもいいですか。
ピーマンがにがてなので、のこしてもいいですか。
I'm not keen on green peppers, so may I leave them?
Sentences where only one works
納豆が苦手です。
なっとうがにがてです。
I'm not a fan of natto.
Food is about taste, not skill, so only 苦手 is possible. 納豆が下手です is meaningless.
字が下手ですみません。
じがへたですみません。
Sorry about my bad handwriting.
A concrete skill you perform badly, which is 下手's home ground. 字が苦手 would suggest you avoid writing rather than that the result looks bad.
あの人はちょっと苦手です。
あのひとはちょっとにがてです。
I find that person a bit hard to get on with.
苦手 is the polite way to say you dislike someone. 下手 cannot describe a relationship at all.
英語は苦手ですが、少しずつ勉強しています。
えいごはにがてですが、すこしずつべんきょうしています。
English is a weak point for me, but I'm studying bit by bit.
For a subject you struggle with, 苦手 is the natural and modest choice; 下手 sounds harshly self-critical and is odd with school subjects.
Common mistakes
ピーマンが下手です。
ピーマンが苦手です。
下手 only describes how well you do something. Disliking a food has nothing to do with skill, so 下手 produces a sentence that makes no sense to a native speaker.
日本語が下手ですね。
日本語はまだ難しいですよね。
Telling someone their Japanese is 下手 is genuinely rude. Keep 下手 for yourself; about another person, avoid it entirely.
私は数学が下手です。
私は数学が苦手です。
Not ungrammatical, but school subjects normally take 苦手. 下手 fits physical or performed skills such as playing, drawing and cooking rather than academic ones.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use 苦手 about a person I dislike?
Yes, and it is the standard polite way to do it. あの人は苦手です means you find them hard to deal with, without the harshness of 嫌いです. This use is impossible with 下手.
Which should I use about myself?
苦手 in most cases, because it is softer and covers more ground. Keep 下手 for when you specifically mean your skill is poor, where it is a normal, modest thing to say about your own cooking or singing.
Does 苦手 mean I'm actually bad at it?
Not necessarily. 苦手 says you find something hard or unpleasant; you may still be perfectly competent. That gap is exactly why people say 苦手 about subjects, foods and people alike.