難題

• Reading: なんだい
• Romaji: nandai
• Kanji breakdown: 難 (nan/muzukashii) — difficult, hard; 題 (dai) — subject, title, problem, theme
• Pronunciation: /nan.dai/

Meaning

Difficult problem; tough challenge; demanding or unreasonable demand. A question or issue that is hard to resolve, or a request extremely difficult to fulfil.

A noun with two related senses: (1) an intellectually demanding problem (数学の難題 — a difficult maths problem), and (2) an unreasonable demand or challenge (難題を押しつける — to burden someone with an unreasonable demand). 難題を解決する (to resolve a difficult problem) and 難題を突きつける (to confront someone with a hard demand) are common collocations.

Examples

1. 環境問題と経済成長を両立させるのは現代社会最大の難題の一つだ。 Reconciling environmental issues with economic growth is one of the greatest challenges of modern society.
2. 部下に難題を押しつけるのではなく、一緒に解決策を考えるべきだ。 Rather than forcing difficult problems onto subordinates, you should work together to find solutions.
3. 哲学者たちは何世紀にもわたってこの難題に取り組んできた。 Philosophers have grappled with this intractable problem for centuries.

Usage Guide

Context: academic, business, philosophy, everyday speech

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 難 (nan) — difficult, hard — and 題 (dai) — subject, title, problem. Together they form a problem or subject that is hard to deal with.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical–Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal