“〜gatai・ni atai suru”: Hard to 〜 / Worthy of 〜 (written evaluation) [JLPT N1]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

Written expressions for what's hard to do and what's worth doing

「信じがたい」「称賛に値する」 — hard to do／worth doing, two written evaluations

One means “hard to,” the other “worth” — 「にわかには信じがたい (hard to believe at once)」「彼の努力は称賛に値する (his effort deserves praise).」 This guide covers two N1 written-evaluation patterns at once: 「〜がたい（難い）」 = hard to ～ (hard to do psychologically, emotionally); 「〜に値する（あたいする）」 = worth ～, deserving of ～. The focus is separating 「がたい」 from the ordinary 「にくい」「かねる,」 and nailing 「に値する」's attachment and negative form.

Core: 〜がたい = hard to ～; 〜に値する = worth ～

These are two independent written-evaluation expressions:

①「verb-masu stem ＋ がたい」 = hard to ～ (hard to do psychologically, emotionally, cognitively; written):

• その話は、にわかには信じがたい (that story is hard to believe at once).
• あの日の感動は、忘れがたい思い出だ (that day's emotion is an unforgettable memory).

②「noun／verb dictionary form ＋ に値する」 = worth ～, deserving of ～:

• 彼の献身的な行動は、称賛に値する (his devoted action deserves praise).
• この論文は、じっくり一読に値する (this paper is worth a careful read).

Feel: 「がたい」 means “(due to psychology, emotion, reason) hard to ～,” the verbs it takes being mostly psychological, cognitive (信じる／想像する／理解する／忘れる／耐える／捨てる). 「に値する」 means “worth doing ～, deserving of ～,” mostly for positive evaluation (worth praise／respect／a read／trust). In English: がたい = hard to ～; に値する = worth ～.

Attachment & forms

Example sentences

• 彼が裏切ったとは、今でも信じがたい。(That he betrayed us is hard to believe even now.)
• この悲劇は、言葉では言い表しがたい。(This tragedy is hard to put into words.)
• あの功績は、永く記憶されるに値する。(That achievement deserves to be long remembered.)
• 彼女の誠実さは、信頼に値する人物だと皆が認めている。(Everyone acknowledges her sincerity — a person worthy of trust.)
• そんな中傷は、一顧に値しない。(Such slander isn't worth a second glance.)

⚠️ Where learners slip up

① 「がたい」 is ‘hard psychologically, emotionally,' different from the ordinary 「にくい.」 This is 「がたい」's key distinction. Chinese says “hard to ～” for both, but Japanese's “hard” divides the labor. 「〜がたい」 = (psychologically, emotionally, in reason) hard to ～ (written, restricted verbs): it mostly takes psychological, cognitive, emotional verbs — 信じがたい (hard to believe), 想像しがたい (hard to imagine), 理解しがたい (hard to understand), 忘れがたい (unforgettable), 耐えがたい (unbearable), 捨てがたい (hard to discard). It expresses “hard to ～ due to psychological, emotional factors,” more written, solemn. 「〜にくい」 = (generally, physically) hard to ～ (neutral, colloquial, see 〈にくい〉): it takes ordinary verbs, for physical, operational, general difficulty — 読みにくい (hard to read), 使いにくい (hard to use), 歩きにくい (hard to walk). Difference: 「がたい」 leans psychological, emotional difficulty (written, 信じがたい); 「にくい」 leans physical, general difficulty (colloquial, 読みにくい). Test: “hard to believe／imagine／forget” — psychological, emotional difficulty → がたい; “hard to read／use／walk” — physical, operational difficulty → にくい. So “this book is hard to read” is 「読みにくい,」 not 「読みがたい.」

② 「がたい」 attaches to the masu stem; its verbs are limited (mostly psychological, cognitive). In attachment, 「がたい」 precedes a verb-masu stem (信じる→信じがたい, 忘れる→忘れがたい). And it doesn't take just any verb — mainly verbs of psychology, emotion, cognition, evaluation: 信じる／想像する／理解する／忘れる／耐える／捨てる／言い表す／認める／近寄る. For ordinary action verbs like 「食べる」「歩く,」 one doesn't say 「食べがたい」「歩きがたい」 (unnatural — use にくい). Test: when wanting 「がたい,」 first confirm the verb is psychological／cognitive (信じる, 忘れる, etc.); for “hard” with an ordinary action verb → use にくい.

③ 「に値する」 attaches to a noun or dictionary form; its negative is 「に値しない.」 In attachment, 「に値する」 precedes a noun (称賛に値する, 尊敬に値する, 一読に値する) or a verb dictionary form (読むに値する = worth reading, 検討するに値する). It means “worth doing ～, deserving of ～,” mostly for positive evaluation. The negative is 「〜に値しない」 = “not worth ～, not worth a ～”: 一顧に値しない (not worth a glance), 議論に値しない (not worth discussing). ⚠️Note 「値する」's reading is 「あたいする」 (not 「ちする」). Test: to say “worth (praise／respect／a read)” → noun ＋ に値する; “not worth ～” → に値しない.

④ Separate it from 「かねる」 — がたい is ‘hard to (do),' かねる is ‘(by one's position) hard to, unable to (a polite refusal).' Both can render as “hard to,” but differ in use. 「〜がたい」 = (psychologically, emotionally) hard to ～ (the evaluation ‘very hard,' written): 信じがたい (hard to believe — expressing the feeling “this is hard to believe”). 「〜かねる」 = (by position, propriety) hard to ～, unable to ～ (politely expressing ‘can't do,' mostly for refusal, see 〈かねる〉): お答えしかねます (I'm afraid I can't answer — politely “can't answer”), 賛成しかねる (hard to agree). Difference: 「がたい」 is the evaluation, feeling that something is “very hard to ～” (信じがたい = hard to believe); 「かねる」 is politely expressing “I can't／find it hard to do ～” (by position, propriety), mostly for a courteous refusal (see 〈かねる〉). Test: to express the feeling “(psychologically) hard to ～” → がたい; to politely say “(by my position) I can't／find it hard to ～” (refusal) → かねる.

🔄 Compare: がたい／にくい／かねる／に値する

💡 Learning tip

This lesson memorizes two at once: 「〜がたい」 = hard to ～ and 「〜に値する」 = worth ～. The trick for 「がたい」 — it's the psychological, emotional “hard” (信じがたい／忘れがたい／耐えがたい), mostly taking psychological, cognitive verbs, more written; don't mix it with the ordinary physical 「にくい (読みにくい)」 or the refusing 「かねる (お答えしかねる).」 The trick for 「に値する」 — remember its attachment (noun／dict. form ＋ に値する), its reading (あたいする), its negative (に値しない = not worth), and that it's mostly for positive evaluation (worth praise／respect／a read). Both are “written, weighty” evaluation words, far classier in a formal review or report than the colloquial 「〜のは難しい」「〜する価値がある.」

❓ FAQ

Q: What's the difference between 「信じがたい」 and 「信じにくい」? Both ‘hard to believe'?

Close in meaning, but differing in ‘the nature of the difficulty' and register. 「信じがたい」 = hard to believe (hard psychologically, emotionally; written, solemn): 「がたい」 expresses “very hard” due to psychology, emotion, reason, its feel more written, solemn, strong — 「がたい」 carries a weight of “almost impossible (to accept psychologically)”: あまりに衝撃的で、にわかには信じがたい (too shocking, hard to believe at once — strong, written). It's often for more formal, emotionally weighty settings. 「信じにくい」 = not very believable (harder to believe in a general sense; neutral, colloquial, see 〈にくい〉): 「にくい」 expresses general, degree-based “harder,” its feel more neutral, everyday, colloquial, lighter in degree — “(for some reason) not very easy to believe”: 証拠が少なくて、少し信じにくい話だ (with little evidence, a somewhat hard-to-believe story). Difference: 「がたい」 more written, solemn, strong (psychologically almost impossible); 「にくい」 more colloquial, neutral, light (harder in a general degree, see 〈にくい〉). Test: formal, emotionally weighty, written “hard to ～” → がたい; everyday, colloquial, light “not very ～” → にくい. Also, 「がたい」's verbs are more limited (mostly psychological), while 「にくい」 takes almost any verb.

Q: How is 「〜に値する」 used? How is 「値する」 read?

「に値する」 = “worth ～, having the value of doing ～,” with three key points: ① Attachment: it precedes a noun or verb dictionary form. With a noun is commonest: 称賛に値する (worth praise), 尊敬に値する (worthy of respect), 一読に値する (worth a read), 信頼に値する (worthy of trust); with a dictionary form: この問題は検討するに値する (this problem is worth examining). ② Reading: 「値する」 is read 「あたいする」 (not 「ちする」) — 「値（あたい）」 means “value,” so 「に値する」 literally is “has the value of ～.” ③ Negative form: 「〜に値しない」 = “not worth ～, not worth a ～”: そんな噂は一顧に値しない (such a rumor isn't worth a glance), 議論に値しない問題 (a problem not worth discussing). In feel, 「に値する」 is a written, formal evaluation word, mostly for positive affirmation (worth praise, respect, remembering), more solemn and forceful than the colloquial 「〜する価値がある.」 Test: to formally say in a review or report “worth (praise／a read／respect)” → noun ＋ に値する; “not worth” → に値しない; and remember it's read 「あたいする.」

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「あの感動は、今でも忘れ___。」(hard to forget)

(A) 難い　(B) かねる　(C) っこない　(D) 得ない

Q2. What verb form comes before 「難い(がたい)」?

(A) ます-form stem　(B) dictionary form　(C) ない-form　(D) て-form

Q3. What does 「信じ難い」 mean?

(A) Hard to believe (psychologically hard to believe)

(B) Easy to believe

(C) Definitely believe

(D) Don't want to believe

Q4. What is the difference between 「難い(がたい)」 and 「にくい」?

(A) がたい = psychological/subjective difficulty (written); にくい = physical/operational difficulty (general)

(B) They are exactly the same

(C) がたい = physical difficulty

(D) にくい = psychological difficulty

Q5. Which connection is correct?

(A) 理解し難い行動だ。　(B) 理解する難い。

(C) 理解して難い。　(D) 食べ難い(物理は にくい が自然)。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) 難い ── Hard to forget (忘れ難い).

2. (A) ます-form stem ── ます-form stem＋難い.

3. (A) ── Hard to believe.

4. (A) ── がたい psychological difficulty; にくい physical difficulty.

5. (A) ── 「理解し難い」 is correct.