worth doing; cannot bear doing ~ (に耐える / に耐えない) – Japanese Grammar に耐える / に耐えない (ni taeru / ni taenai)

Q: What JLPT level is に耐える / に耐えない?

JLPT N1 — Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms

Q: How do you use に耐える / に耐えない in a sentence?

Attach に耐える / に耐えない to the appropriate verb or noun form. Worth doing; cannot bear doing ~

Q: Is に耐える / に耐えない formal or casual Japanese?

に耐える / に耐えない is typically used in formal or written Japanese contexts.

に耐える / に耐えない

N1 GRAMMAR ⏱ 0s study 📖 0 today

ni taeru / ni taenai

worth doing; cannot bear doing ~

にあって ni atte たつもりはない ta tsumori wa nai ないとも限らない nai tomo kagiranai にかかっては /にかかったら / にかかると / かかれば ni kakatte wa / ni kakattara / ni kakaru to / kakareba まるっきり marukkiri 極まる / 極まりない kiwamaru/ kiwamarinai べからず / べからざる bekarazu/ bekarazaru に即して ni sokushite というか〜というか to iu ka~to iu ka に ni に至っては ni ittate wa によらず ni yorazu 尽くす tsukusu こそすれ koso sure のやら〜のやら no yara~no yara なり nari やれ〜やれ yare~yare ではあるまいし dewa arumai shi といえども to ie domo ならいざしらず /はいざしらず nara iza shirazu / wa iza shirazu にあって ni atte たつもりはない ta tsumori wa nai ないとも限らない nai tomo kagiranai にかかっては /にかかったら / にかかると / かかれば ni kakatte wa / ni kakattara / ni kakaru to / kakareba まるっきり marukkiri 極まる / 極まりない kiwamaru/ kiwamarinai べからず / べからざる bekarazu/ bekarazaru に即して ni sokushite というか〜というか to iu ka~to iu ka に ni に至っては ni ittate wa によらず ni yorazu 尽くす tsukusu こそすれ koso sure のやら〜のやら no yara~no yara なり nari やれ〜やれ yare~yare ではあるまいし dewa arumai shi といえども to ie domo ならいざしらず /はいざしらず nara iza shirazu / wa iza shirazu

🃏 Flashcard

に耐える / に耐えない

ni taeru / ni taenai

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worth doing; cannot bear doing ~

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📊 Pattern Stats

JLPT Level N1

Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms

Reading ni taeru / ni taenai

Post ID 51315

Patterns today 0

0 / 10 daily goal

📝 Usage Notes

worth doing; cannot bear doing ~

📖 How to use it

Expresses that something is worth doing or, in the negative, that one cannot bear doing it.

Attaches to Attach to the ます-stem of a verb (the V連用形), followed by に耐える (positive) or に耐えない (negative). For nouns: N + に耐える/に耐えない. (Note: This pattern does not use the こと nominalization; for example, 読むに耐える, 鑑賞に耐える, not 読むことに耐える.)

This pattern is used to judge whether an action or situation is worth enduring or not. The positive form に耐える often appears with nouns or verb-stems like 読書, 見学, or 鑑賞 to mean 'worth doing'. It implies that the effort or discomfort is rewarded by the value of the experience. The negative form に耐えない means 'cannot bear' and is used for situations that are emotionally or physically intolerable, such as 悲しみ or 苦痛. In this case, the subject cannot endure it, and it often has a literary or formal nuance. Note that the negative form is not the simple opposite of the positive—it does not mean 'not worth doing' but rather 'unbearable'.

この美術館の現代アートは、十分に鑑賞に耐える。

Kono bijutsukan no gendai āto wa, jūbun ni kanshō ni taeru.

The modern art at this museum is well worth viewing.

彼の話は長いうえに内容が薄く、聞くに耐えない。

Kare no hanashi wa nagai ue ni naiyō ga usuku, kiku ni taenai.

His speech is long and insubstantial, so it's unbearable to listen to.

その小説は、一度読んだら忘れられないほど、読むに耐える作品だ。

Sono shōsetsu wa, ichido yondara wasurerarenai hodo, yomu ni taeru sakuhin da.

That novel is a work so memorable that it is definitely worth reading.

Not に値する (ni atai suru) に値する means 'to be worthy of' and is used with nouns like 評価 or 信頼 to indicate that something deserves a certain response. に耐える focuses on the endurance of the subject during the action, while に値する focuses on the objective worthiness of the object. For example, 読むに値する means 'worthy of being read' (objective judgment), whereas 読むに耐える means 'you can endure reading it because it's good' (subjective endurance).

Register This pattern is formal and literary, commonly found in written Japanese such as essays, reviews, and literary works; it is rarely used in casual conversation.

🎯 Quick Quiz

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に耐える / に耐えない

📚 How to Master This Pattern

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Press Hear it and repeat に耐える / に耐えない three times. Feel the rhythm — grammar patterns have a natural flow.

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Compose two original sentences using に耐える / に耐えない. One about yourself, one about something you see right now.

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🔗 More JLPT N1 Patterns

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に即して

according to; to be based on ~

に足らない/に足りない

cannot; not worthy; not worth doing ~

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

What does the grammar pattern に耐える / に耐えない mean? ▼

Worth doing; cannot bear doing ~

What JLPT level is に耐える / に耐えない? ▼

Nihoner currently groups this pattern under JLPT N1 — Advanced · Literary, rhetorical & rare forms. Use the level label as study guidance rather than a prediction of what will appear on an exam.

How do you use に耐える / に耐えない in a sentence? ▼

Attach に耐える / に耐えない (ni taeru / ni taenai) 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 に耐える / に耐えない formal or casual Japanese? ▼

に耐える / に耐えない 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 に耐える / に耐えない 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 later the same day and again over the following days. Writing original sentences can help you practise using the pattern in context.