得意な

Yes, both 上手 (jouzu) and 得意 (tokui) mean 'good at' something, but they have a subtle difference. 上手 (jouzu) is a more objective assessment of skill. You use it to say someone (or yourself) is generally good at something.

Example:
彼は日本語が上手です。(Kare wa nihongo ga jouzu desu.) - He is good at Japanese.

得意な (tokui na), on the other hand, means something is 'one's strong point' or something you are personally good at and enjoy. It often carries a nuance of confidence or pride in that skill. You wouldn't usually use 得意な to describe someone else's skill if you don't know their personal feeling about it.

Example:
料理は私の得意なことです。(Ryouri wa watashi no tokui na koto desu.) - Cooking is something I'm good at (my strong point).

Absolutely! You can definitely use 得意な (tokui na) to say you're good at sports.

Example:
テニスは得意です。(Tenisu wa tokui desu.) - I'm good at tennis. / Tennis is my strong point.

To say 'My strong point is English' using 得意な (tokui na), you can say:

英語は得意です。(Eigo wa tokui desu.) - English is my strong point.

Or, more formally:
英語は私の得意な科目です。(Eigo wa watashi no tokui na kamoku desu.) - English is my strong subject.

When you use 得意な (tokui na) as an adjective, it needs to modify a noun, just like any other な-adjective. So, yes, it often appears before a noun like in 得意なこと (tokui na koto) - 'things I'm good at' or 'my strong points'.

However, you can also use it as part of a predicate with です (desu). For example:
数学が得意です。(Suugaku ga tokui desu.) - I am good at math. (Literally: Math is my strong point.)

Here, 得意です acts as the predicate.

You can, but be a bit careful. While you can say someone else is 得意な at something, it often implies you know they personally feel good about that skill.

For example:
彼は絵を描くのが得意です。(Kare wa e o kaku no ga tokui desu.) - He is good at drawing (and he probably enjoys it / considers it his strong point).

If you're just making an objective observation about their skill without knowing their personal feeling, 上手 (jouzu) is usually a safer and more common choice.

Example:
彼女は歌が上手です。(Kanojo wa uta ga jouzu desu.) - She is good at singing (objective skill).

To ask 'What are you good at?' using 得意な (tokui na), you can say:

何が得意ですか？(Nani ga tokui desu ka?) - What are you good at?

Or, a bit more specific:
得意なことは何ですか？(Tokui na koto wa nan desu ka?) - What are your strong points?

The negative form of 得意な (tokui na) is 得意ではない (tokui dewa nai) or 得意じゃない (tokui ja nai) for a more casual tone.

Example:
歌は得意ではありません。(Uta wa tokui dewa arimasen.) - I am not good at singing. / Singing is not my strong point.

Yes, it's very natural! 得意な (tokui na) is commonly used for academic subjects.

Example:
歴史は得意です。(Rekishi wa tokui desu.) - I'm good at history. / History is my strong point.

Or:
数学は苦手ですが、英語は得意です。(Suugaku wa nigate desu ga, Eigo wa tokui desu.) - I'm not good at math, but I'm good at English.

You could, but it might sound a little strong or slightly unnatural depending on the context. While 得意な (tokui na) means 'good at something,' it usually applies to skills, talents, or subjects.

For something like 'waking up early,' you might use a different expression to sound more natural, such as:

朝早く起きるのは好きです。(Asa hayaku okiru no wa suki desu.) - I like waking up early.

Or simply imply you do it well:
朝早く起きられます。(Asa hayaku okiraremasu.) - I can wake up early.

Yes, 苦手 (nigate) is indeed the opposite of 得意な (tokui na).

得意な (tokui na) means 'good at something' or 'one's strong point'.
苦手な (nigate na) means 'bad at something', 'weak point', or 'dislike something/someone'.

Example:
パソコンの操作は得意です。(Pasokon no sousa wa tokui desu.) - I'm good at operating computers.
パソコンの操作は苦手です。(Pasokon no sousa wa nigate desu.) - I'm bad at operating computers.