can't bear to; unable to; troublesome to (て敵わない) – Japanese Grammar て敵わない (te kanawanai)

Q: What JLPT level is て敵わない?

JLPT N1 — Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms

Q: How do you use て敵わない in a sentence?

Attach て敵わない to the appropriate verb or noun form. Can't bear to; unable to; troublesome to

Q: Is て敵わない formal or casual Japanese?

て敵わない is typically used in formal or written Japanese contexts.

て敵わない

N1 GRAMMAR ⏱ 0s study 📖 0 today

te kanawanai

can't bear to; unable to; troublesome to

いかに ikani では済まない dewa sumanai 折に ori ni んばかりに n bakari ni を余儀なくされる o yogi naku sareru とは towa 放題 houdai はおろか wa oroka こととて koto tote でも何でもない /くも何ともない demo nan demo nai / kumo nan tomo nai をいいことに o ii koto ni にして ni shite に値する ni atai suru ないものか /ないものだろうか nai mono ka / nai mono darou ka ようが / ようと you ga / you to いかなる ikanaru て済むことではない te sumu koto dewa nai はそっちのけで /をそっちのけで wa socchinoke de / o socchinoke de に照らして ni terashite といわず〜といわず to iwazu~to iwazu いかに ikani では済まない dewa sumanai 折に ori ni んばかりに n bakari ni を余儀なくされる o yogi naku sareru とは towa 放題 houdai はおろか wa oroka こととて koto tote でも何でもない /くも何ともない demo nan demo nai / kumo nan tomo nai をいいことに o ii koto ni にして ni shite に値する ni atai suru ないものか /ないものだろうか nai mono ka / nai mono darou ka ようが / ようと you ga / you to いかなる ikanaru て済むことではない te sumu koto dewa nai はそっちのけで /をそっちのけで wa socchinoke de / o socchinoke de に照らして ni terashite といわず〜といわず to iwazu~to iwazu

🃏 Flashcard

て敵わない

te kanawanai

Tap to reveal usage

can't bear to; unable to; troublesome to

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📊 Pattern Stats

JLPT Level N1

Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms

Reading te kanawanai

Post ID 51374

Patterns today 0

0 / 10 daily goal

📝 Usage Notes

can't bear to; unable to; troublesome to

🎯 Quick Quiz

What does this grammar pattern mean or do?

て敵わない

📚 How to Master This Pattern

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Say It Aloud

Press Hear it and repeat て敵わない three times. Feel the rhythm — grammar patterns have a natural flow.

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Flip Before Reading

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✍️

Write Two Sentences

Compose two original sentences using て敵わない. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.

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Spaced Review

Save this pattern and revisit at 10 min, 1 day, 3 days. Production (writing) beats recognition for grammar.

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ever since ~

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What does the grammar pattern て敵わない mean? ▼

Can't bear to; unable to; troublesome to

What JLPT level is て敵わない? ▼

JLPT N1 — Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms. To pass JLPT N1 you need to recognise and use this pattern correctly in reading and listening sections.

How do you use て敵わない in a sentence? ▼

Attach て敵わない (te kanawanai) to the appropriate verb or noun form as described in the usage notes. Then try writing two original sentences — one about yourself and one about something around you.

Is て敵わない formal or casual Japanese? ▼

て敵わない is used in formal or written contexts. You will see it mainly in written texts, news, business Japanese and academic contexts.

How can I remember て敵わない long-term? ▼

Use the flashcard on this page for active recall — see the pattern, reconstruct the usage from memory, then flip. Follow with the 4-choice quiz to distinguish it from similar patterns. Review at 10 minutes, 1 day and 3 days (spaced repetition). Writing two original sentences at each review session is the fastest way to reach production-level mastery.