簡単
かんたん
hepburn kantan
simple, easy
Part of speech · na-adjective
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- この問題は簡単です。This problem is simple.
- 簡単な説明をお願いします。Please give a brief explanation.
Collocations
簡単 (kantan, simple / easy — na-adj)簡単な (kantan na, simple [+noun])簡単に (kantan ni, simply, easily)簡単に言うと (kantan ni iu to, "in short")複雑 (fukuzatsu, complex — antonym)
Mnemonic
簡単 kantan — na-adjective (contrast with the i-adjective 易しい). Kanji "simple (簡) + single (単)" = not complex. na-adjective patterns: 簡単な問題 (a simple problem), 簡単に解ける (solved easily, adverbial に). Overlaps with 易しい but the nuance differs: 簡単 = "structurally simple" (low difficulty + concise), 易しい = "easy" (low difficulty). Business set phrase 簡単に言うと ("to put it simply") is everywhere.
Quick check
Nuance difference between 簡単 and 易しい?