Japanese grammar
What does ～に難くない mean? Japanese grammar N1
～に難くない means not difficult to…; easy to (imagine/understand).
| Level (estimated, JLPT framework) | N1 |
|---|---|
| Structure | N (想像・理解) + に難くない V辞書形 + に難くない |
| Romaji | nikatakunai |
| Meaning | not difficult to…; easy to (imagine/understand) |
Forming it
| Noun (imagination) | 想像 + に難くない |
|---|---|
| Noun (understanding) | 理解 + に難くない |
How to use it
States something is easy to picture/understand. Only used with a few action nouns: 想像・理解・察する.
- 「～に難くない」 = not difficult to (imagine/understand). Formal, literary.
- Only used with a few FIXED expressions: 「想像に難くない」, 「理解に難くない」, 「察するに難くない」.
- Implies: it's obvious, anyone would guess/understand it.
Examples
彼の落胆は想像に難くない。
His disappointment is easy to imagine.
この結果が現場を混乱させたことは理解に難くない。
It’s not hard to see why this outcome threw the site into confusion.
Keep in mind
- Only with a few fixed expressions.
- Formal written style.
Common mistakes
-
Wrongこの問題を解くに難くない。
This problem can be solved easily.
Correctこの問題は簡単に解ける。
「に難くない」 is only used with FIXED phrases (想像・理解・察する), not attached freely.
-
Wrong想像に難しくない。
It's not difficult to imagine.
Correct想像に難くない。
The fixed structure is 「難（かた）くない」, not 「難しくない」.
Exam tips
- 「に難くない」 = not difficult to (想像/理解); read as 「かたくない」, not 「むずかしくない」.