难 (nán) — difficult
HSK 1 | adjective | difficult, hard. Antonym: 容易 (róngyi)
难 (nán)
An adjective meaning difficult or hard. It is the direct antonym of 容易 (róngyi), which means easy. 难 appears often in compound adjectives such as 难看 (ugly), 难吃 (tastes bad), and 难听 (unpleasant to hear), following a pattern where it modifies a sensory verb.
Meanings
- [adjective] Difficult, hard, not easy.
- [adjective] (In compounds) Unpleasant to the senses: 难看 (ugly), 难吃 (tastes bad).
Example Sentences
这道数学题很难。 Zhè dào shùxué tí hěn nán. This math problem is very difficult.
汉语难不难？ Hànyǔ nán bu nán? Is Chinese difficult?
这个工作很难做，但很有意思。 Zhège gōngzuò hěn nán zuò, dàn hěn yǒu yìsi. This job is hard to do, but very interesting.
难的事情不一定不好，容易的事情不一定是好事。 Nán de shìqing bù yīdìng bù hǎo, róngyì de shìqing bù yīdìng shì hǎoshì. Difficult things are not necessarily bad, and easy things are not necessarily good.
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 很难 (hěn nán) | very difficult |
| 太难了 (tài nán le) | too difficult |
| 难度 (nándù) | difficulty level |
| 难看 (nánkàn) | ugly (unpleasant to look at) |
| 难吃 (nán chī) | tastes bad |
| 困难 (kùnnán) | difficulty, hardship |
Memory Hook
Antonym: 容易 (róngyi) means easy. When a task pushes back against you and refuses to give way, that resistance is 难.