下手

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 歌が下手です。▶ —
   I am bad at singing.
2. 運転が下手だ。▶ —
   I am a poor driver.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Heta (下手) is the na-adjective for "unskilled / poor at." Paired with jouzu. The kanji 下 (lower) plus 手 (hand) reads "low-level hand." Pattern: "X ga heta" with the object-as-subject logic. Cultural code: when describing your own abilities, Japanese reach for heta before jouzu — heta is a polite humility tool aligned with kenson (covered in jouzu). Learner trap: "nihongo ga heta desu" (my Japanese is poor) is a canonical self-introduction or social greeting, not literal self-assessment. Related word nigate (苦手, "bitter hand," weakness or aversion) splits from heta in nuance: heta is plain "lack of skill" (objective), nigate adds "emotional rejection or psychological discomfort" (subjective). "Suugaku ga heta" means poor math scores; "suugaku ga nigate" means hating and struggling with math. The idiom heta no yokozuki (lit. "loving sideways while bad") names someone who loves a hobby despite being bad at it — common in club and hobby talk. Korean motseulda / seoturudada and Chinese bu shanchang diverge. JLPT N5 heta / nigate pairs with the self-introduction cultural code.

Quick check

1. Nuance split between heta and nigate?

   • Heta = objective "lack of skill"; nigate = subjective "rejection + struggle"
   • Synonyms
   • Heta adjective, nigate noun
   • Period split