簡単

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 簡単 is a na-adjective read かんたん, meaning simple or easy. It appears as 簡単な before a noun and 簡単に before an action.
• Basic usage: It can describe keeping a meal simple or state that assembly is easy even without instructions.
  • 朝食はパンと卵で簡単に済ませました。 says that breakfast was kept simple with bread and eggs; この箱は説明書を見なくても簡単に組み立てられます。 says that the box can be assembled easily without looking at the instructions.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 簡単に済ませる
  • The に form modifies the action and presents it as completed in a simple manner.
• 簡単に組み立てられる
  • The potential form states that assembly is easy; it does not say that assembly has already occurred.
• 簡単 and 単純
  • 簡単 evaluates something as easy or uncomplicated, while 単純 chiefly describes a simple structure or way of thinking.