〜に堪えない（〜にたえない） (〜にたえない（〜にたえない）): This means something is so bad you cannot stand it. It is not worth doing or seeing. You feel very negatively about it.

Dictionary

〜に堪えない（〜にたえない）

This means something is so bad you cannot stand it. It is not worth doing or seeing. You feel very negatively about it.

N1 KMT8FormalStandardVerb ConstructionMixedOlder SpeakersWorthy Of An Action Or NameGrammar

Verb [dictionary form] + に堪えないPrimary

Noun + に堪えない

This means something is so bad you cannot stand it. It is not worth doing or seeing. You feel very negatively about it.

あの政治家の演説は、矛盾だらけで聞くに堪えない。

That politician's speech is full of contradictions and is unbearable to listen to.

FormalNon PastNegativeSentence EndingDeclarativePolitics & Law

彼が作った料理は、見た目も味もひどく、とても食べるに堪えないものだった。

The dish he made was terrible in both appearance and taste; it was truly not worth eating.

NeutralPastNegativeSentence EndingDeclarativeFood & Dining Daily Life

事故現場には、見るに堪えない光景が広がっていた。

A sight unbearable to behold spread across the scene of the accident.

FormalPastNegativePrenominalDeclarativeDaily Life

彼の作品は独創性がなく、批評に堪えないと酷評された。

His work was harshly criticized as lacking originality and not being worthy of critique.

FormalPastNegativeMid SentenceDeclarativeArt & Design Literature

この古い論文は誤りが多すぎて、学術的な参考文献として使用に堪えない。

This old thesis has too many errors and is not worthy of being used as an academic reference.

FormalNon PastNegativeSentence EndingDeclarativeEducation Science & Math

This phrase shows you really dislike something. It's like saying something is so bad it hurts your feelings or your taste. It's much stronger than just 'bad'.

This is different from "〜に堪える" (ni taeru). That means something is good enough to do. It is also different from "〜に足りない" (ni tarinai). That means there is not enough of something. This phrase means something is too bad to do.

Don't use this when you talk about simple actions. For example, you would not say "It's not worth walking." You use it for things you see, hear, read, eat, or judge.

Often confused with(1)

〜見るに見かねる

You see something sad or bad. You feel you must do something. You cannot just watch it happen.

Contrasts with(2)

〜見るに見かねる

You see something sad or bad. You feel you must do something. You cannot just watch it happen.

〜に堪える

This means something is good enough for an action. It can handle being watched or used. It is worthy of attention.

More formal alternatives(1)

〜て（は）いられない

Expresses the speaker's inability to continue doing an action or remain in a certain state due to impatience, urgency, or psychological limits. It implies that a limit has been reached and one cannot afford or bear to keep going.

Less formal alternatives(1)

〜（を）禁じ得ない (〜きんじえない)

You cannot stop yourself from feeling or thinking something. You just have to feel it.

辞書形

This is the basic form of a verb. It is what you find in a dictionary. You use it to make other verb forms.

ない形

This is how you make a verb negative. It means "do not" or "will not." It is the casual way to say 〜ません.

〜がたい

Expresses that an action is difficult or almost impossible to perform, often due to psychological, emotional, or ethical reasons rather than physical inability.

〜ことでもない

Indicates that an action or situation is not significant, important, or difficult enough to warrant a particular response or effort. It's often used to mean 'not worth doing X', 'no need to X', or 'it's not a big deal'.

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Dictionary

〜に堪えない（〜にたえない）

This means something is so bad you cannot stand it. It is not worth doing or seeing. You feel very negatively about it.

N1 KMT8FormalStandardVerb ConstructionMixedOlder SpeakersWorthy Of An Action Or NameGrammar

Verb [dictionary form] + に堪えないPrimary

Noun + に堪えない

This means something is so bad you cannot stand it. It is not worth doing or seeing. You feel very negatively about it.

あの政治家の演説は、矛盾だらけで聞くに堪えない。

That politician's speech is full of contradictions and is unbearable to listen to.

FormalNon PastNegativeSentence EndingDeclarativePolitics & Law

彼が作った料理は、見た目も味もひどく、とても食べるに堪えないものだった。

The dish he made was terrible in both appearance and taste; it was truly not worth eating.

NeutralPastNegativeSentence EndingDeclarativeFood & Dining Daily Life

事故現場には、見るに堪えない光景が広がっていた。

A sight unbearable to behold spread across the scene of the accident.

FormalPastNegativePrenominalDeclarativeDaily Life

彼の作品は独創性がなく、批評に堪えないと酷評された。

His work was harshly criticized as lacking originality and not being worthy of critique.

FormalPastNegativeMid SentenceDeclarativeArt & Design Literature

この古い論文は誤りが多すぎて、学術的な参考文献として使用に堪えない。

This old thesis has too many errors and is not worthy of being used as an academic reference.

FormalNon PastNegativeSentence EndingDeclarativeEducation Science & Math

This phrase shows you really dislike something. It's like saying something is so bad it hurts your feelings or your taste. It's much stronger than just 'bad'.

Don't use this when you talk about simple actions. For example, you would not say "It's not worth walking." You use it for things you see, hear, read, eat, or judge.

Often confused with(1)

〜見るに見かねる

You see something sad or bad. You feel you must do something. You cannot just watch it happen.

Contrasts with(2)

〜見るに見かねる

You see something sad or bad. You feel you must do something. You cannot just watch it happen.

〜に堪える

This means something is good enough for an action. It can handle being watched or used. It is worthy of attention.

More formal alternatives(1)

〜て（は）いられない

Less formal alternatives(1)

〜（を）禁じ得ない (〜きんじえない)

You cannot stop yourself from feeling or thinking something. You just have to feel it.

辞書形

This is the basic form of a verb. It is what you find in a dictionary. You use it to make other verb forms.

ない形

This is how you make a verb negative. It means "do not" or "will not." It is the casual way to say 〜ません.

〜がたい

Expresses that an action is difficult or almost impossible to perform, often due to psychological, emotional, or ethical reasons rather than physical inability.

〜ことでもない

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〜に堪えない（〜にたえない）

Patterns2

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Restrictions1

Compare with5

Often confused with(1)

Contrasts with(2)

More formal alternatives(1)

Less formal alternatives(1)

Prerequisites4

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〜に堪えない（〜にたえない）

Patterns2

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Restrictions1

Compare with5

Often confused with(1)

Contrasts with(2)

More formal alternatives(1)

Less formal alternatives(1)

Prerequisites4

Track your mastery