堅; 硬; 固い
かたい
solid, hard, firm
i-adjective
Conjugation Table
Present
堅
Negative
くない
Past
かった
Past Negative
くなかった
Te Form
くて
Adverbial
く
Conditional
ければ
Presumptive
堅でしょう
Example Sentences
このパンは固くて食べにくい。
This bread is hard and difficult to eat.
Kono pan wa katakute tabenikui.
昨日、彼は固い椅子に座りました。
Yesterday, he sat on a hard chair.
Kinō, kare wa katai isu ni suwarimashita.
この布団はあまり固くない。
This futon is not very firm.
Kono futon wa amari katakunai.
Grammar Notes & Usage Tips
•Different Kanji, Different Contexts**: While all three kanji (堅, 硬, 固い) are read as かたい, they have subtle nuances. Use 堅 when talking about firmness in abstract concepts like beliefs or security, 硬 for physical hardness like metals or rocks, and 固 when referring to something solid or unyielding, like a solid plan.
•Particle Pairing**: Like other i-adjectives, かたい can directly modify nouns without any particles, as in 堅い信念 (かたいしんねん, firm belief). When describing something more generally, use the particle が, like in この石は硬い (このいしはかたい, this stone is hard).
•Conjugation Tips**: Being an i-adjective, かたい follows regular conjugation rules. For past tense, change to かたかった (was hard), and for the negative, say かたくない (not hard). Don’t forget the small っ in the past form!
•Common Confusions**: Learners often confuse かたい with similar adjectives like 厳しい (きびしい, strict) or 固める (かためる, to harden). Remember, かたい is all about the quality of being physically or metaphorically hard or firm.
•い-adjective: Conjugates by changing the い ending