“Hard” in Japanese
Short answer
Hard in Japanese is “硬い” (katai). Full meaning: hard, solid, tough; stiff, tight, wooden, unpolished (e.g. writing); strong, firm (not viscous or easily moved).
Other ways to say “Hard” in Japanese
難い
gatai difficult, hard; difficult to ..., hard to ...
きつい
kitsui tough, hard, severe, demanding, harsh; determined, strong-minded, forceful, formidable, fierce; strong (e.g. sunlight, alcohol), severe, intense
手痛い
teitai severe, hard
難しい
muzukashii difficult, hard, troublesome, complicated, serious (disease, problem, etc.); impossible, unfeasible; fussy, particular, fastidious, hard to please, displeased
営々
eiei (work) hard, unceasingly, strenuously, assiduously, busily, ardently
こちんこちん
kochinkochin hard (due to freezing, drying, etc.); wound up, tense
硬式
koushiki hard (esp. of hardball, tennis, etc.)
酷い
hidoi cruel, heartless, hard, harsh, severe; violent, intense, strong, heavy, extreme; very bad, terrible, awful
耳障り
mimizawari hard (on the ears), offensive (to the ear), rasping, rough, harsh, grating, jarring, cacophonous
厳しい
kibishii severe, strict, rigid, unsparing, relentless; hard (to do), difficult, tricky; intense (e.g. cold), harsh (weather), inclement
手厳しい
tekibishii harsh (criticism, treatment, etc.), severe, hard, strict
Looking for the other direction? Search any Japanese word in the Nihoner lexicon, or practise what you have learned in the learning games.