Worth seeing, or unbearable: 〜にたえる／〜にたえない
動詞辞書形・名詞 + にたえる／にたえない
X にたえる = “deserves X”; 見る・聞くにたえない = unbearable to look at or listen to; 感謝・遺憾にたえない = immense emotion. Written register.
In short
堪える (たえる) here means “to be worth, to stand up to”. X にたえる = “that deserves X, that stands up to X” (鑑賞にたえる). にたえない has two meanings: with 見る, 聞く, 読む, “unbearable to look at, to listen to” (見るにたえない); with an emotion noun (感謝, 遺憾, 同情), “an emotion too strong to contain” (感謝にたえない). Written register.
- この絵本は、大人の鑑賞にもたえる作品だ。このえほんは、おとなのかんしょうにもたえるさくひんだ。This picture book is a work that adults can appreciate too.
- 彼の暴言は聞くにたえない。かれのぼうげんはきくにたえない。His abuse is unbearable to listen to.
- 皆様のご支援には、感謝にたえません。みなさまのごしえんには、かんしゃにたえません。I can't thank you enough for your support.
The basics
The verb たえる is written two ways. 耐える is “to endure, to withstand” (痛みに耐える). 堪える, the one in this lesson, is “to be equal to, to be worth”. X にたえる = “that holds up against X, that deserves X”. In writing, it's often written in hiragana.
A work that adults can appreciate too.
- noun
- particle
- verb
- 大人の鑑賞にもたえる作品。おとなのかんしょうにもたえるさくひん。A work that adults can appreciate too.
- この論文は、専門家の批判にも十分たえる内容だ。このろんぶんは、せんもんかのひはんにもじゅうぶんたえるないようだ。This paper easily stands up to specialists' criticism.
How to form it
Three uses, depending on what comes before.
| Construction | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| noun／verb + にたえる | deserves, is equal to | 鑑賞にたえる, 読むにたえる |
| 見る・聞く・読む + にたえない | unbearable to look at, listen to, read | 見るにたえない |
| emotion noun + にたえない | an emotion impossible to contain | 感謝にたえない, 遺憾にたえない |
- 被災者の話は、聞くにたえないほど痛ましかった。ひさいしゃのはなしは、きくにたえないほどいたましかった。The disaster victims' accounts were so painful they were hard to listen to.
The two meanings of にたえない
With a verb of perception, にたえない judges what you see or hear: it's so ugly, so shocking (聞くにたえない暴言) or so horrific (見るにたえない惨状) that you can't bear it. With an emotion noun, it's a solemn formula: 感謝にたえない (boundless gratitude), 遺憾にたえない (deep regret), 同情にたえない (deep sympathy). Only context can decide.
- このような結果となり、遺憾にたえません。このようなけっかとなり、いかんにたえません。We deeply regret that it has come to this.
にたえる, に足る, てたまらない, 耐えられない
に足る (“that deserves”) stresses sufficient value (信頼に足る). にたえる stresses the ability to stand up to scrutiny. 耐えられない and てたまらない are about suffering you can't endure, without the sense of “unworthy of being seen”.
| Form | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 〜にたえる | stands up to, deserves | 鑑賞にたえる |
| 〜に足る | worthy enough to | 信頼するに足る |
| 〜にたえない | unbearable / intense emotion | 見るにたえない, 感謝にたえない |
| 〜に耐えられない | can't endure | 痛みに耐えられない |
- この暑さには、もう耐えられない。このあつさには、もうたえられない。I can't stand this heat any more.
Common mistakes
- Confusing 堪える (to be worth) and 耐える (to endure): 見るにたえない isn't about physical endurance; you're judging the scene itself, “unbearable, not fit to be looked at”.
- Reading 感謝にたえない as a criticism: with an emotion noun, it's immense gratitude.
- Using it with any verb: にたえない is limited to 見る, 聞く, 読む and a few emotion nouns.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N1 point is on the Hokuriku Line (Arts and crafts) of the Shinkansen.