JLPT N4・N5 Vocabulary – “上手”&”得意”・”下手”&”苦手”

Table of Contents

1. “Jouzu” & “Tokui”・”Heta” & “Nigate”
2. “Jouzu” & “Tokui”
3. “Heta” & “Nigate”
4. Summary
5. Quiz
6. Similar Articles
7. Comment

Q: Are “Jouzu (上手じょうず)” and “Tokui (得意とくい)”, “Heta (下手へた)” and “Nigate (苦手にがて)” the same?

A: All these terms relate to skills and abilities, but there are subtle differences.

“Jouzu (上手じょうず)” and “Tokui (得意とくい)”

Jouzu (上手じょうず)
The key point is a certain “ability,” and it represents having a high level of that ability.
It also serves as a direct expression of complimenting someone, carrying an objective nuance.

[Examples]　
たろうさんはサッカーが上手じょうずです。
Taro is good at soccer.
⇒I objectively think that Taro is highly skilled at football.

「わぁ、おいしそうな料理りょうり。木村きむらさん、料理りょうりが上手じょうずですね。」
“Wow, that looks delicious. Mr. Kimura, You’re good at cooking!”
⇒ It implies not just praising the cooking skills but complimenting Mr. Kimura himself.

Tokui (得意とくい)
This also represents a high level of “ability,” but focuses on “skills.”
It can be used about oneself or family members, encompassing a sense of interest and confidence in something.
Unlike “jouzu,” “tokui” is used subjectively, so it is the term to use when talking about yourself or family members.

[Examples]
たろうさんはサッカーが得意とくいです。
Taro is good at football.
⇒ Slightly different from “jouzu,” it is less about praising Taro himself and more about complimenting his soccer skills.
　　
わたしはサッカーが得意とくいです。
I am good at football.
⇒ The speaker subjectively expresses confidence in their own soccer skills.

It is important to note that “jouzu” can be used towards others, but not towards oneself or family members. This is a very Japanese way of thinking, as using it about oneself can sound boastful. Additionally, it is not used with abstract terms like “study” or “work.” Instead, use it with specific terms such as “English” or “Japanese.”

“Heta (下手へた)” and “Nigate (苦手にがて)”

“Heta” is the opposite of “jouzu,” indicating a lack of skill, while “nigate” means not being proficient. Although they seem simply like antonyms, they carry slightly different meanings.
We will explain each in detail.

Heta (下手へた)
“Jouzu” includes a connotation of complimenting someone, so it can be used towards others.
On the other hand, “heta” indicates a lack of skill, and using it towards others can be quite rude.
However, it can be used when referring to oneself or one’s own family.

[Examples]
× たろうさんはサッカーが下手へたです。
　Taro is bad at football.
⇒ Since Taro is a third party, it sounds very rude.

〇 兄あには料理りょうりが下手へたです。
　My brother is bad at cooking.
⇒ Since he is my brother, it is acceptable to use “heta” to describe him.

Nigate (苦手にがて)
It indicates not only a lack of proficiency (not being skilled) but also a lack of fondness for something. Additionally, it can be used when something is simply not liked, regardless of ability.

[Examples]
みきさんは数学すうがくが苦手にがてで、いつもテストの点数てんすうが悪わるいです。
Miki struggles with math and always gets poor grades on tests.
⇒ “Nigate” can be used to describe oneself, family, or others, but care should be taken when using it directly towards a third party as it can be considered rude.

むすこはにんじんが苦手にがてです。
My son doesn’t like carrots.
⇒ Since ‘carrots’ do not represent a skill, in this case, “nigate” means ‘not liking’ them.

Summary

• Jouzu is used to denote high skill levels and is employed when complimenting someone else (objective).
• Tokui focuses on ‘skills’. It is less about praising the person themselves and more about praising their specific skills. It can also be used when talking about oneself or family members (subjective).
• Heta is used to indicate low skill levels. It is very rude to use this term towards a third party.
• Nigate indicates a dislike or lack of proficiency in something. If the context does not involve ‘skills’, it translates to ‘not liking’ something.
• Care should be taken when using these terms related to skills when talking about others, as it can be very disrespectful.

Quiz

Read the following sentence and choose the expression that fits the context from the options provided in the parentheses.

Click on the question to check the answer.

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