ใใไธๆใงใใปไธๆใงใ
~ ga jouzu desu / heta desu
To be good at / bad at something.
๐ธ Expressing Skills and Abilities ๐ธ
๐ฌ Dialogue
Anna-san wa ryouri ga jouzu desu ne.
Anna, you are good at cooking, aren't you?
Iie, jouzu ja arimasen. Mada heta desu.
No, I'm not good at it. I'm still bad at it.
Demo, kono keeki wa totemo oishii desu yo.
But this cake is very delicious.
Arigatou gozaimasu. Ken-san wa supootsu ga jouzu desu ka.
Thank you. Ken, are you good at sports?
Tenisu wa jouzu desu ga, sakkaa wa heta desu.
I'm good at tennis, but I'm bad at soccer.
Sou desu ka. Kondo tenisu o oshiete kudasai.
I see. Please teach me tennis next time.
๐ Vocabulary
5 wordsโญ Key Sentence
[Noun] ga jouzu desu / heta desu.
To be good at [Noun] / To be bad at [Noun].
- Pattern: [Noun] ใ ไธๆ/ไธๆ ใงใใ
- Meaning: Expressing proficiency or lack thereof in a specific skill.
Tanaka-san wa e ga jouzu desu.
Mr. Tanaka is good at drawing.
Watashi wa uta ga heta desu.
I am bad at singing.
๐ Explanation
To describe someone's skill level in Japanese, we use the particle ใ followed by ไธๆ (jouzu) for 'good at' or ไธๆ (heta) for 'bad at'.
Note that jouzu is usually used to praise others; when talking about yourself, it's more humble to use other expressions, though heta is commonly used for oneself.
Nihongo ga jouzu desu.
= '(You) are good at Japanese.'
Oyogi ga heta desu.
= '(I) am bad at swimming.'
๐ Quiz
How do you say 'I am bad at cooking' in Japanese?