難しい
むずかしい
difficult
i-adjective
Conjugation Table
Present
難しい
Negative
難しくない
Past
難しかった
Past Negative
難しくなかった
Te Form
難しくて
Adverbial
難しく
Conditional
難しければ
Presumptive
難しいでしょう
Example Sentences
このテストは難しいです。
This test is difficult.
Kono tesuto wa muzukashii desu.
昨日の宿題は難しかったです。
Yesterday's homework was difficult.
Kinō no shukudai wa muzukashikatta desu.
この問題は難しくないです。
This problem is not difficult.
Kono mondai wa muzukashikunai desu.
Grammar Notes & Usage Tips
•Conjugation Cues:** As an i-adjective, 難しい (むずかしい) follows regular i-adjective conjugation patterns, so for the negative form, replace the final い with くない, making it 難しくない (むずかしくない) to say “not difficult.”
•Particle Pairing:** When describing something as difficult, use the particle が before 難しい, such as in この問題が難しい (このもんだいがむずかしい), meaning "This question is difficult."
•Past Tense Twist:** To express that something was difficult, change the ending to かった, making it 難しかった (むずかしかった), as in テストが難しかった (テストがむずかしかった) to say "The test was difficult."
•Avoiding Common Errors:** Remember not to confuse 難しい with たいへん, which can also mean "difficult" but often implies a more physically or emotionally challenging situation, while 難しい is typically used for intellectual or practical difficulties.
•い-adjective: Conjugates by changing the い ending