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How to say 'Hard' in Japanese | 硬い

Wondering how to say 'Hard' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Hard is 'Katai', written as 硬い in Japanese.'Hard' in hiragana is かたい.

    word

    硬い

    Meaning

    Hard

    Reading

    かたい

    katai

    Kanji

    Hard, Stiff

    Explanation

    The Japanese adjective '硬い (かたい)' means 'hard'. It describes something that is physically firm, rigid, or difficult to bend or break. It can also be used metaphorically to describe something strict, inflexible, or tense, such as a person's attitude or a situation. For example: this bread is hard「このパンは硬い」(このパンはかたい). His expression was hard「彼の表情は硬かった」(かれのひょうじょうはかたかった). When used metaphorically, it often conveys a sense of stiffness or lack of flexibility, as in '硬い態度 (かたいたいど) (stiff attitude)'.

    Part Of Speech

    adjective

    Kanji JLPT

    N2

    Kanji Grade

    8

    Frequency

    3776

    Composition

    kanji-hiragana

    Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 硬い

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Hard, Stiff

Hiragana in the Word 硬い

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

  • hiragana

    Reading

    I

Words Related to 硬い Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 硬 as well.

  • word

    硬さ

    Meaning

    Hardness

Learn the Word 硬い

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What does 'Katai' (硬い) mean?

'Katai' means 'Hard' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.