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N2 — outside your level filter

がたい

がたいgataiN2neutral

say + hard to bring yourself to

ii gatai

hard to bring yourself to; next to impossible to

meaning: is hard to bring yourself to say

Same meaningRelated

  • 言いう
  • 〜がたい
  • 言いいがたい

彼かれの話はなしはあまりにも突飛とっぴで、正直しょうじき言いいがたい。

kare no hanashi wa amari ni mo toppi de, shoujiki ii gatai.

His story is so outlandish that, honestly, it is hard to bring yourself to say. neutral

え、あの人ひとがそんなことするなんて、ちょっと言いいがたいんだけど。

e, ano hito ga sonna koto suru nante, chotto ii gatai n da kedo.

Wait, that person doing something like that — honestly, it is hard to bring yourself to say, you know. casual

Same meaning3

easy or hard to do; hard to bring yourself to

All examples3

hard to bring yourself to; next to impossible to — a felt reluctance

  1. 彼かれの話はなしはあまりにも突飛とっぴで、正直しょうじき信しんじがたい。

    kare no hanashi wa amari ni mo toppi de, shoujiki shinji gatai.

    His story is so outlandish that, honestly, it is hard to bring yourself to believe. neutral

  2. え、あの人ひとがそんなことするなんて、ちょっと想像そうぞうしがたいんだけど。

    e, ano hito ga sonna koto suru nante, chotto souzoushi gatai n da kedo.

    Wait, that person doing something like that — honestly, it is hard to bring yourself to imagine, you know. casual

  3. このような不正ふせい行為こういは、断だんじて許ゆるしがたい。

    kono you na fusei koui wa, danjite yurushigatai.

    Conduct like this fraud is utterly unforgivable. formal

How it's formed1

All forms4

  • pastがたかったgatakatta

    言いいがたかった

  • politeがたいですgataidesu

    言いいがたいです

  • before-a-verb formがたくgataku

    言いいがたく

  • て-formがたくてgatakute

    言いいがたくて

Notes

がたい goes only on a narrow, mostly cognitive/emotional verb set (信しんじる、許ゆるす、認みとめる、想像そうぞうする) — coining it onto an ordinary physical verb (?開あけがたい) sounds unnatural, unlike にくい, which takes almost any verb.