守ってもらいたいわけでもないのに、なぜこんなにもこの場所を離れがたく思うのだろう.
What does "gataku" mean in this sentence? I don't know if this is some kind of suffix or grammar point I'm unfamiliar with?
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Sign up to join this communityがたい is close to にくい and comes after the masu-stem of a verb, meaning "difficult to do something"
From デジタル大辞泉(小学館)
難い(がたい)
[接尾]《形容詞型活用[文]がた・し(ク活)。形容詞「かた(難)い」の濁音化》動詞の連用形に付いて、その動作の実現が困難であることを表す。…しにくい。…するのがむずかしい。「得―・い」「信じ―・い」「いわく言い―・い」
I believe it's in JLPT grammar:
[意味]
〜するのが難しい。
「能力的にできない」ということには使わない。[英訳]
"difficult to do"
*Not used to mean something can't be done because of lack of ability.
離れがたい: difficult to leave
離れがたく思う: reluctant to part/leave