弱い vs 苦手
JLPT N5 vocabulary · what is the difference?
弱い means weak — low in strength, force or resistance. 苦手 means you are bad at something or cannot handle it, and it covers dislike as much as inability. お酒に弱い says a little alcohol affects you; お酒が苦手 says you would rather not drink it. 苦手 is also the polite way to decline food or an invitation.
When to use each
弱い
よわい
Use 弱い for a measurable lack of strength: a weak body, weak wind, a weak team, low resistance to something, marked with に. It states a fact about capacity, not about preference.
父は体が弱いです。
ちちはからだがよわいです。
My father is in poor health.
私はお酒に弱いので、一杯だけにします。
わたしはおさけによわいので、いっぱいだけにします。
Alcohol goes straight to my head, so I'll stick to one glass.
苦手
にがて
Use 苦手 for things you are poor at or would rather avoid — a school subject, singing, insects, a type of food, even a person. It is a な-adjective and takes が: 数学が苦手です.
歌は苦手です。
うたはにがてです。
I'm no good at singing.
すみません、辛い物が苦手なんです。
すみません、からいものがにがてなんです。
Sorry, I'm not good with spicy food.
Sentences where only one works
お酒に弱いです。
おさけによわいです。
I can't hold my drink.
A physical fact: small amounts affect you. It says nothing about whether you like alcohol.
お酒が苦手です。
おさけがにがてです。
I'd rather not drink.
Preference or avoidance, and a polite refusal. You might drink perfectly well and still say this.
私は数学が苦手です。
わたしはすうがくがにがてです。
I'm bad at maths.
For skills and school subjects, 苦手 is the word. 数学に弱い exists but sounds bookish next to it.
今日は風が弱いですね。
きょうはかぜがよわいですね。
The wind is light today.
Only 弱い works for natural force. 苦手 describes a person's relationship to something, never the wind itself.
Common mistakes
私は料理が弱いです。
私は料理が苦手です。
For being bad at an activity, use 苦手. 弱い about a skill is not said outside a few fixed phrases.
この肉が嫌いです。
この肉はちょっと苦手です。
Not a grammar error, but 嫌い at someone's table is blunt. 苦手 is the standard softened way to decline food.
Frequently asked questions
Is 苦手 the same as 嫌い?
Close, but softer and vaguer. 嫌い is a clear dislike; 苦手 says the thing does not agree with you, which may be dislike, may be inability, and lets the listener not press.
Can I say a person is 苦手?
Yes. あの人はちょっと苦手です means you find them hard to deal with. It is much gentler than 嫌い and very common.
What is the opposite of 苦手?
得意, meaning good at: 料理が得意です, I'm good at cooking. The opposite of 弱い is 強い.