Have you ever thought of the difference between 重(おも)い and 重(おも)たい? This is a common question for most Japanese learners. Though Japanese seldom think about such thing, we still use it differently in the subconscious. For example, if just simply comparing which one is heavier between two pieces of luggage, people usually use 重たい rather than 重い.
So, the “difference” is that 重たい is usually used in spoken Japanese to express the fact that something truly integrates with their feelings.
Now let’s have a look at the words with “たい”. 冷(つめ)たい, 煙(けむ)たい, じれったい, やぼったい, etc. You might have found that such words tend to be negative words from the overall point of view. For instance, “この料理(りょうり)は胃(い)に重(おも)たいね” means “this dish is heavy on the stomach”. Similarly, 煙たい is more odious than 煙い.
On the other hand, there is a very confusing question that why there is no such word called “軽たい” corresponding to “軽い”, and why no “冷い” for “冷たい”. Why? Even Japanese are not able to answer the question. What a shame…
Hope you enjoy your weekend.