がたい
Hard to Bring Oneself to
The pattern がたい is used when something is 'hard to do' due to internal resistance, disbelief, or moral barriers. While often used for psychological difficulty (like 'hard to believe'), it also appears in formal contexts to describe objective situations that are unshakeable or rare, such as 'unshakeable facts' or 'hard-to-obtain opportunities.' It is often written as 難い, sharing the same kanji as にくい.
How It Works
1. Meaning and Usage
がたい expresses that an action or state is virtually impossible. This is usually due to psychological or emotional reasons (the speaker's feelings prevent them from doing it), but it can also describe objective situations that are extremely difficult to change or realize. It is a formal expression primarily used in writing or speeches. Note that がたい is used with volitional verbs (actions involving choice or mental effort) and cannot be used for non-volitional actions like physical seeing or hearing.
2. Kanji Representation
がたい is written with the kanji 難い. Because this is the same kanji used for にくい, it is frequently written in hiragana to avoid confusion, or the reading must be determined by the formal tone of the sentence.
3. Common Verbs and Phrases
This pattern is used with a specific set of verbs related to cognition, emotion, or fixed states:
- 信じる（しんじる）→ 信じがたい (Hard to believe)
- 許す（ゆるす）→ 許しがたい (Hard to forgive)
- 理解する（りかいする）→ 理解しがたい (Hard to comprehend)
- 捨てる（すてる）→ 捨てがたい (Hard to discard/part with; quite good)
- 得る（える）→ 得がたい（えがたい） (Hard to obtain/rare)
- 動かす（うごかす）→ 動かしがたい事実 (An unshakeable fact)
4. Grammatical Function
Once attached to a verb stem, the entire phrase functions as an い-adjective. For example, you can say 信じがたかった (was hard to believe) or 信じがたい話 (a story that is hard to believe).
5. Distinction from Similar Patterns
While にくい refers to objective or physical difficulty (e.g., a pen that is hard to write with), がたい focuses on psychological impossibility or formal, unshakeable states. It is stronger and more formal than づらい, which implies physical or emotional pain rather than a complete barrier.
Examples (4)
- 彼の話は、にわかには信じがたい内容だった。
His story was something that was hard to believe right away.
Word by Word: His story (topic), suddenly (as for), believe-hard content was.
Here, 'hard to believe' implies that the content is so shocking or unlikely that the speaker's mind cannot accept it as truth.
- 罪のない子供を傷つけるなんて、断じて許しがたい行為だ。
Hurting an innocent child is an absolutely unforgivable act.
Word by Word: Sin-not-having child (object) hurt (such a thing), absolutely forgive-hard act is.
In this case, 'hard to forgive' reflects a moral impossibility; the speaker's values make forgiveness impossible.
- あの二人が別れるなんて、今の私には想像しがたい。
It is hard for me to imagine those two breaking up right now.
Word by Word: Those two (subject) break up (such a thing), now of me for, imagine-hard.
This expresses a psychological inability to picture a specific scenario because it contradicts the speaker's current perception.
- 政府の提案は、国民にとって受け入れがたいものだった。
The government's proposal was something unacceptable to the citizens.
Word by Word: Government's proposal (topic), citizens for, accept-hard thing was.
This formal usage shows that the proposal cannot be emotionally or logically accepted by the people.
Common Mistakes
Using がたい for physical difficulty or lack of skill.
このペンは書きがたいです。このペンは書きにくいです。がたい is for psychological barriers. For physical difficulty (like a bad pen), use にくい.
Using がたい for simple 'can't do' situations.
漢字が読みがたいです。漢字が読めません。If you cannot read Kanji because you haven't learned them, use the potential form (読めない). Use がたい only if the content is so emotionally shocking that you 'cannot bring yourself' to read it.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand がたい, you need to know how to conjugate verbs into their stem form (ます-stem). It is also helpful to understand basic difficulty markers like にくい to distinguish when a difficulty is psychological rather than physical. Finally, since the resulting phrase behaves like an い-adjective, familiarity with い-adjective grammar is required.
Related Patterns
- づらいPainful to Do
Used when an action is 'hard to do' because it causes the speaker physical or mental pain/discomfort.
Level 2 - 〜かねるCannot/hard to
A formal way to say 'cannot,' often used in professional settings to politely refuse or express inability to perform an action.
Level 3 - やすいEasy to Do
The opposite of にくい, used to express that something is 'easy to do' or 'prone to happening.'
Level 2 - られる/えるPotential Form
The potential form, used for general ability or possibility, whereas がたい is specifically for psychological impossibility.
Level 2
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Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice がたい in Bubblegum
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