がたい
JLPT Level: N3
Meanings
Hard to do
Difficult to believe
Unbearable or hard to endure
Usage
V stem + がたい
耐える（ stem ）+ がたい
Explanation
がたい attaches to the stem of a verb to express that something is difficult or nearly impossible to do, often due to its nature or the speaker’s perception. It emphasizes a subjective difficulty rather than an objective one, and it can also describe something that is hard to bear or accept. It is relatively formal and common in written Japanese or careful speech.
信じる → 信じがたい話だ。
しんじる→しんじがたいはなしだ。
It’s a story that’s hard to believe.
彼の説明は理解しがたい。
かれのせつめいはりかいしがたい。
His explanation is difficult to understand.
この痛みは耐えがたい。
このいたみはたえがたい。
This pain is unbearable.
その状況は受け入れがたい。
そのじょうきょうはうけいれがたい。
That situation is hard to accept.