N2 Possibility and Difficulty

~がたい: meaning, usage and examples

~がたい means: hard to... / difficult to...

Updated 9 November 2026 · By the My Senpai team · Spotted a mistake? Tell us

Examples

1. この話はなしは信しんじがたい。

   This story is hard to believe.

2. 許ゆるしがたい行為こういだ。

   It's an unforgivable act.

3. 彼かれの説明せつめいはどうも納得なっとくしがたい。

   I find his explanation hard to accept.

4. ふるさとの風景ふうけいは忘わすれがたいものです。

   The scenery of my hometown is hard to forget.

When to use it

Says that something is hard to do, not physically but emotionally or mentally: you cannot bring yourself to believe, accept, forgive or forget it. It works like an い-adjective and often modifies a noun. For example, 信しんじがたい話はなし means "a story that is hard to believe." Common verbs are 信しんじる, 理解りかいする, 許ゆるす, 忘わすれる, 認みとめる, 想像そうぞうする and 近寄ちかよる.

Nuance

Formal and mostly written, also used in serious speech. It expresses the speaker's feelings or judgment, so it does not fit physical difficulty or skill. It is limited to a fairly fixed set of verbs of perception and judgment.

Compare

にくい is everyday and covers physical difficulty: この靴くつは歩あるきにくい. がたい is for things you can hardly accept: 許ゆるしがたい行為こうい. づらい stresses personal discomfort: 言いいづらい. 歩あるきがたい sounds wrong, so use にくい for physical things.

Tip: Think "がたい = hard to accept in my heart." If the difficulty is physical, switch to にくい.