"어렵다" is "to be difficult" not just "difficult(=어려운)".^^/
Adjectives in Korean also end with '다' like verbs, so we call the dictionary forms of the adjectives "descriptive verbs" to tell between "to be + adjective" and "adjective".
To make these descriptive verbs into the adjectives, we need to change them to the "-(으)ㄴ" forms.
Usually this form needs when the descriptive verbs come before nouns.
For example,
The verb stem of 어렵다 is "어려".
어렵다 = 어려+ㄴ = 어려운
Likewise,
쉽다(to be easy) = 쉬+(으)ㄴ = 쉬운(easy)
맛있다(to be delicious) = 맛있+(으)ㄴ = 맛있는(delicious)
예쁘다(to be beautiful) = 예쁘 + (으)ㄴ = 예쁜(exception)
좋다(to be good) = 좋 + (으)ㄴ = 좋은(good)
행복하다(to be happy) = 행복하 + (으)ㄴ = 행복한(happy)
어렵다 + 문제(problem - noun) = 어려운 문제
쉽다 + 문제 = 쉬운 문제
맛있다 + 음식(food - noun) = 맛있는 음식
\^o^/