English–Japanese

“not very good at” in Japanese

Japanese

Pronunciation

Romajinigate

Example

私は数学が苦手です。watashi wa sū gaku ga niga te de su

I am not very good at math.

Illustration for 苦手 (not very good at)

How to say “not very good at” in Japanese

“Not very good at” in Japanese is 苦手 (nigate).

苦手 (nigate) marks a subject or activity as one that a person finds difficult to handle or perform well.

Full entry for 苦手: usage tips, similar words and word origin

Example sentences with 苦手

私は算数が苦手です。watashi wa san sū ga niga te de su

I am not very good at math.

弟は知らない人に話しかけるのが苦手です。otōto wa shi ra na i hito ni hana shi ka ke ru no ga niga te de su

My younger brother is not very good at talking to strangers.

Tips for using 苦手

  • Unlike a direct statement of failure, 苦手 (nigate) can sound relatively mild when a speaker describes a weak area such as mathematics or public speaking.

“not very good at” in other languages