〜がたい: 'Hard To' (Almost Impossible To)
The obstacle is in the mind, not the muscles
〜がたい says an action is so difficult it feels impossible — but the difficulty is almost always psychological or abstract, not a matter of physical effort. It carries the feeling "I just can't bring myself to…" or "it's beyond me to…":
その話はちょっと信じがたい。
その はなしは ちょっと しんじがたい。
That story is hard to believe.
信じがたい = can scarcely believe it — a mental, not physical, difficulty.
ヤッタンにとって、あの日のことは忘れがたい思い出だ。
ヤッタンにとって、あの ひの ことは わすれがたい おもいでだ。
For Yattan, that day is an unforgettable memory.
忘れがたい思い出 = a memory too precious to forget.
先生の気持ちは想像しがたい。
せんせいの きもちは そうぞうしがたい。
It's hard to imagine how the teacher feels.
Because the nuance is "near-impossible," 〜がたい lands heavier than an everyday "it's hard to."
Build it on the ます-stem, then inflect like an い-adjective
Take the verb's ます-stem (drop ます) and add がたい:
| Verb (dictionary) | ます-stem | + がたい |
|---|---|---|
| 信じる (believe) | 信じ | 信じがたい |
| 理解する (understand) | 理解し | 理解しがたい |
| 忘れる (forget) | 忘れ | 忘れがたい |
| 言う (say) | 言い | 言いがたい |
| 想像する (imagine) | 想像し | 想像しがたい |
The result behaves like an い-adjective — so conjugate it like one, never like a verb (信じがたかった, not 信じがたいでした):
| Form | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | 信じがたい | その話は信じがたい |
| Negative | 信じがたくない | 信じがたくない話 |
| Past | 信じがたかった | 結果は信じがたかった |
| Noun-modifying | 信じがたい〜 | 信じがたい事実 |
Only a handful of verbs will take it
Unlike にくい, which bolts onto almost anything, 〜がたい pairs with only a small set — typically verbs of perception, thought, or speech: 信じる, 理解する, 想像する, 言う, 忘れる, 認める (admit), 受け入れる (accept). You can't freely attach it to any verb, so when a verb feels outside that circle, にくい is the safe general choice.
Where you'll actually meet it
がたい is formal and literary — you'll see it in writing, news, speeches, and thoughtful conversation far more than in casual chat, where にくい or 〜のは難しい sounds more natural. These fit that register:
正直に言って、その提案は受け入れがたい。
しょうじきに いって、その ていあんは うけいれがたい。
Honestly, that proposal is hard to accept.
モチが約束を破るなんて、ヤッタンには理解しがたかった。
モチが やくそくを やぶる なんて、ヤッタンには りかいしがたかった。
That Mochi would break a promise was hard for Yattan to understand.
Past 〜しがたかった — it conjugates like an い-adjective.
弟の前では、本当のことは言いがたい。
おとうとの まえでは、ほんとうの ことは いいがたい。
In front of my little brother, the truth is hard to say.
言いがたい = hard to bring oneself to say.
がたい or にくい?
Both translate as "hard to," but they are not interchangeable:
- 〜がたい = the difficulty is abstract, emotional, near-impossible, and the tone is formal/written. Only certain verbs: 信じがたい, 理解しがたい, 言いがたい.
- 〜にくい = the difficulty is practical or physical, the tone is neutral/casual, and it attaches to almost any verb: 食べにくい ("hard to eat"), 歩きにくい ("hard to walk"), 読みにくい ("hard to read").
Compare:
- この道は歩きにくい。 = "This road is hard to walk on." (physical — use にくい, not 歩きがたい)
- 彼の話は信じがたい。 = "His story is hard to believe." (mental — either could appear, but がたい is stronger/more formal)
The trap to avoid is reaching for がたい on physical difficulty: "This meat is hard to eat" is 食べにくい, never 食べがたい. Quick test — if better tools, more skill, or more effort would solve it, it's にくい; if the obstacle sits in the mind or heart and feels insurmountable, it's がたい.
The gist
- ます-stem + がたい = "hard to" in the sense of near-impossible.
- The difficulty is abstract / psychological, and the register is formal/written.
- Works only with certain verbs: 信じる, 理解する, 想像する, 言う, 忘れる…
- Conjugates as an い-adjective: 信じがたかった, 信じがたい思い出.
- For physical or everyday difficulty, use 〜にくい instead.
Practice it
Choose between 〜がたい and 〜にくい, and conjugate がたい correctly.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
展示会へのご招待、本日あり＿＿＿承りました。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between 〜がたい and 〜にくい?
〜がたい means 'almost impossible to' for abstract or emotional reasons and is formal/written (信じがたい). 〜にくい means 'hard to' for practical or physical reasons and is neutral/everyday (食べにくい). にくい attaches to almost any verb; がたい to only a few.
Can I use がたい with any verb?
No. It pairs with a limited set, mostly verbs of thought, perception, or speech: 信じる, 理解する, 想像する, 言う, 忘れる, 認める, 受け入れる. For other verbs, use にくい.
How does 〜がたい conjugate?
Like an い-adjective. Negative: 信じがたくない. Past: 信じがたかった. Modifying a noun: 信じがたい事実 ('an unbelievable fact').
Is 〜がたい used in everyday conversation?
Rarely. It is formal and literary. In casual speech people use にくい or 〜のは難しい. You'll see がたい most in writing, news, and formal talk.
Where 〜がたい fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- Conditional 〜たら · N4 — 〜たら is Japanese's most flexible conditional: just add ら to the plain past. Learn the formation, the 'if/when' meaning, the discovery use, and how it beats ば/と for requests.
- 〜やすい・〜にくい · N4 — Add やすい or にくい to a verb ます-stem to say something is easy or hard to do: 読みやすい (easy to read), 食べにくい (hard to eat). They become い-adjectives and conjugate.
- Past Tense · N5 — The plain past た-form means 'did.' It follows the same sound changes as the て-form (just て→た, で→だ): 食べた, 行った, 飲んだ. Learn it by verb group.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜やすい・〜にくい · N4 — Add やすい or にくい to a verb ます-stem to say something is easy or hard to do: 読みやすい (easy to read), 食べにくい (hard to eat). They become い-adjectives and conjugate.
More N3 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜代わりに — 〜代わりに has two senses: 'instead of / in place of' (砂糖の代わりにはちみつ) and 'in exchange for / to make up for' a trade-off (給料は高い代わりに仕事がきつい).
- 決して〜ない — 決して + a negative means 'never' or 'by no means' — a strong, emphatic denial or firm resolve. Learn the formation, the obligatory negative, and how it differs from めったに and 全然.
- 〜きる — 〜きる attaches to a verb stem to mean do completely or finish entirely: 食べきる, 使いきる, 疲れきる. Learn the forms, the negative 〜きれない, and common mistakes.
- 〜っけ — 〜っけ is a casual sentence-final particle for confirming or recalling something half-forgotten: 明日は休みだっけ？ Learn how to attach it (だ/た + っけ) and when not to.
- 〜ことがある — Dictionary/ない-form verb + ことがある means 'sometimes' or 'there are times when' — an occasional event. Learn the formation, frequency adverbs, and how it differs from た-form ことがある (experience).
- 〜ことか — 〜ことか turns a question word into an exclamation of strong feeling: どんなに心配したことか ('how worried I was!'). Learn the formation, the rhetorical nuance, and common mistakes.