やすい means easy to do or prone to happen; にくい and づらい both mean difficult to do. 壊れやすい means easily broken, not necessarily something desirable. 読みにくい describes difficulty reading; 言いづらい often stresses discomfort in saying something. The negative suffixes overlap, and choice depends on the action and the speaker’s viewpoint.
also written yasui / nikui / zurai / 易い / 難い / 辛い
やすい — easy to do, or prone to happening · にくい — hard to do, for any reason including physics · づらい — hard to do because it is unpleasant for the doer
Sentences
6 sentences, word by word
やすい · easy to do
polite
、。
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この
この
this
demonstrative · attached to a noun, unlike これ which stands alone
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本
ほん ［1］
book
noun · also the counter for long cylindrical things
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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字
じ ［1］
the characters; the print
noun · the written characters themselves, not the content
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が
が
marks the subject
particle · what the sentence is about — with 好き, 分かる and potentials, the object
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大きい
おおきい ［3］
large
い-adjective · describing the print, which is why が marks 字
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から
から
from; since
particle · a starting point, or a reason
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読みやすい
よみやすい
easy to read
stem of 読む ＋ やすい · an い-adjective describing how the reading goes
やすいN3easy to · prone to
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です
です
(polite ending)
copula · politeness after an い-adjective
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This book has large print, so it's easy to read.
やすい · prone to, and not a compliment
plain
。
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安い
やすい ［2］
cheap
い-adjective · unrelated to the suffix やすい despite sounding identical
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コップ
コップ
glass; cup
noun · loanword from Dutch kop, a drinking glass without a handle
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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割れやすい
われやすい
breaks easily
stem of 割れる ＋ やすい · prone to it, which here is a fault
やすいN3prone to
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Cheap glasses break easily.
にくい · physical resistance, no person needed
polite
。
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この
この
this
demonstrative · pointing at the glass in front of you
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コップ
コップ
glass
noun · the thing resisting, and not a person
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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割れにくい
われにくい
hard to break
stem of 割れる ＋ にくい · intransitive, so nobody is breaking it
にくいN3hard to · resistant to
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ように
ように
so as to be
expression · stating the purpose the making aimed at
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作られています
つくられています
is made
passive of 作る in ています · the maker is irrelevant, so passive
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This glass is made not to break easily.
づらい · hard on the person doing it
plain
。
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この
この
these
demonstrative · the shoes on your feet
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靴
くつ ［2］
shoes
noun · counted with 足, a pair at a time
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は
は
as for — the topic
particle · written は, read わ
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歩きづらい
あるきづらい
hard to walk in
stem of 歩く ＋ づらい · you are the one walking, and it is unpleasant
づらいN3hard on the doer
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These shoes are uncomfortable to walk in.
づらい vs にくい · the same verb, different blame
polite
、。
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言いづらい
いいづらい
awkward to say
stem of 言う ＋ づらい · the discomfort is yours, not the words'
づらいN3uncomfortable to
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の
の
the fact that — nominaliser
particle · makes the adjective clause a noun for です to follow
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です
です
(explanatory)
copula in the のです pattern · presenting it as background to what follows
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が
が
but
conjunction · the concessive が, not the subject marker
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断らなければなりません
ことわらなければなりません
I have to refuse
polite obligation of 断る · no choice is left to you
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It's awkward to say, but I have to turn the request down.
にくい · reluctance, where either could stand
polite
、。
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頼みにくい
たのみにくい
hard to ask
stem of 頼む ＋ にくい · covers reluctance as well as difficulty
にくいN3hard to · reluctant to
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から
から
from; since
particle · a starting point, or a reason
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自分
じぶん ［0］
myself
noun · the speaker, standing in for a name
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で
で
in; at — where it happens
particle · where the action happens, or the manner it happens in
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やりました
やりました
did it
polite past of やる · the casual counterpart of する
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It was hard to ask, so I did it myself.
Structure
How the three attach
読み / 使い / 壊れ＋やすい
読みやすい. Conjugates as an い-adjective: 読みやすかった, 読みやすくない.
読み / 割れ / 見え＋にくい
割れにくい. Works with intransitive verbs and inanimate subjects, which is where づらい is less typical.
言い / 頼み / 断り＋づらい
言いづらい. Needs a person doing the action and finding it hard — usually socially or physically uncomfortable.
〜やすい→〜やすくない / 〜やすかった
All three are い-adjectives once attached, so they inflect normally and never take だ.
Meaning
にくい vs づらい — the line that matters
づらい often highlights felt difficulty. It derives from 辛い and commonly describes an action that is uncomfortable or troublesome for someone: この靴は歩きづらい. このコップは割れづらい is less typical than 割れにくい, but is not categorically impossible.
にくい has no such requirement. It covers physical resistance (割れにくい), difficulty (読みにくい) and reluctance (言いにくい) alike. Where both are possible, にくい is the safer choice.
Where both fit, emphasis can differ.言いにくい and 言いづらい can both describe difficulty speaking. The latter often brings out personal discomfort, as when delivering bad news.
やすい is not always a compliment.壊れやすい is fragile, 疲れやすい is “tires easily”, 風邪をひきやすい is “catches colds easily”. The suffix means “readily”, and whether that is good depends entirely on the verb.
Watch out
Where these three go wrong
づらい for physical resistance
このコップは割れづらい is less typical than 割れにくい for a cup’s physical resistance to breaking. It is not categorically impossible; づらい can foreground difficulty from a viewpoint.
Reading 壊れやすい as praise
やすい means “readily”, not “conveniently”. 壊れやすい is fragile and 疲れやすい means you tire quickly — both are complaints.
Confusing the suffix やすい with the adjective 安い
They are homophones with different kanji: 易い for the suffix, 安い for cheap. 安いコップ is a cheap glass; 割れやすいコップ is one that breaks easily.
Attaching them to the wrong verb form
All three take the ます-stem, not the plain form: 読みやすい, never 読むやすい. Once attached, the result is an い-adjective and inflects like one.
Also asked
Questions people ask about やすい, にくい and づらい
Is づらい just a more casual にくい?
They overlap. づらい often highlights felt difficulty or discomfort, while にくい can describe physical resistance without anyone experiencing it.
When both fit, which should I pick?
にくい is the safe default. Choose づらい when you want to say the difficulty is yours — 言いづらい for news you would rather not deliver.
What about がたい?
がたい means very hard to do and is relatively formal. Familiar combinations include 信じがたい, 理解しがたい, and 忘れがたい; other combinations are possible when idiomatic.
Do these work with every verb?
They attach to verb stems, but idiomatic choices vary. 見やすい is the ordinary way to say “easy to see”; 見えやすい can focus on visibility. They can follow some intransitive verbs, so there is no blanket ban on potentials.
