〜にたえる

Can Withstand

Level 5Sounds Like nitaeru

〜にたえる (often written as 〜に堪える) is a formal expression meaning 'worth doing' or 'can withstand evaluation.' It is used when an object possesses a high enough level of quality to be taken seriously by experts or the public.

How It Works

The grammar pattern 〜にたえる is a formal, literary expression primarily used in professional critiques, academic writing, or high-end journalism. It suggests that a work or object is of such high quality that it can 'stand up to' scrutiny or appreciation without being found lacking.

1. Kanji Usage:
While often written in hiragana, the kanji 堪える is the standard choice for this 'worth doing' pattern. This distinguishes it from 耐える, which usually refers to physical endurance or resisting pressure. However, note that native speakers frequently (and sometimes incorrectly) use 耐える (e.g., 鑑賞に耐える) for this pattern in modern Japanese.

2. Usage with Verbs and Particles:
It attaches to the dictionary form of verbs. This pattern is not productive and is highly restricted to a small, fixed set of words. You should memorize specific collocations like 見る（みる）, 聞く（きく）, 読む（よむ）, 評価する（ひょうかする）, and 鑑賞する（かんしょうする） rather than trying to create your own. Because the pattern means 'X is worth doing', the object of the action usually becomes the topic or subject using は or が, rather than the direct object marker を.

  • 見るにたえる (worth watching)
  • 読むにたえる (worth reading)

3. Usage with Nouns:
It attaches to 'action nouns' (verbal nouns) that involve evaluation, scrutiny, or use, such as 鑑賞（かんしょう）, 評価（ひょうか）, 批判（ひはん）, or 使用（しよう）.

  • 鑑賞にたえる (worth appreciating)
  • 批判にたえる (can withstand criticism)

4. The Negative Form and Common Traps:
The negative form is 〜にたえない. It can mean 'unbearable' because something is too cruel, painful, or offensive (e.g., 残酷で見るにたえない - 'too cruel to watch', ひどい悪口で聞くにたえない - 'terrible insults that are unbearable to hear'), OR it can mean 'unbearable/not worth doing' because the quality is extremely low (e.g., 読むにたえない - 'so poorly written it is unbearable to read', 鑑賞にたえない - 'not worth appreciating'). This applies to both verbs and nouns depending on the context. Additionally, when modifying a noun, you can use the structure 〜にたえる [Noun] ではない (e.g., 鑑賞にたえる絵ではない - 'not a picture worth appreciating') as an alternative to 〜にたえない [Noun].
Crucial Warning: Learners often mistakenly conjugate this pattern into the potential negative (e.g., 見るにたえられない), but this is a classic test trap. The set phrase is strictly 〜にたえない.

Note on Emotional Use:
You may also encounter the phrase 〜にたえない used with emotional nouns (e.g., 感謝にたえない - 'cannot suppress deep gratitude', 喜びにたえない - 'cannot suppress joy', 同情にたえない - 'cannot suppress sympathy', 感激にたえない - 'cannot suppress deep emotion'). It is important to note that this is a completely separate grammar pattern meaning 'cannot suppress [emotion]'. An affirmative version (感謝にたえる) does not exist.

Examples (6)

  1. この映画は、大人の鑑賞に堪える素晴らしい作品だ。

    This movie is a wonderful work that is worth appreciating even for adults.

    Word by Word: This movie (topic), adult's appreciation (to) withstand wonderful work is.

    Here, '鑑賞に堪える' implies the movie meets the high standards of an adult audience, rather than being just for children.

  2. 彼の理論は、専門家の厳しい批判に堪えるものだった。

    His theory was something that could withstand the rigorous criticism of experts.

    Word by Word: His theory (topic), expert's strict criticism (to) withstand thing was.

    This uses the 'withstand' nuance, suggesting the theory is logically sound enough to survive professional scrutiny.

  3. 最近は、読むに堪える小説が少なくなったと感じる。

    I feel that there are fewer novels worth reading these days.

    Word by Word: Recently (topic), read (to) withstand novels (subject) became few (that) feel.

    In this context, '読むに堪える' means the novels have enough literary value to justify the time spent reading them. Notice how the object of reading becomes the subject with が.

  4. この建物のデザインは、百年の使用に堪える設計になっている。

    The design of this building is engineered to withstand a hundred years of use.

    Word by Word: This building's design (topic), 100 years' use (to) withstand design (into) becoming.

    This demonstrates the functional quality aspect, meaning the design is durable enough for long-term practical use.

  5. 彼の言い訳はあまりにも見え透いていて、聞くにたえない。

    His excuses are so transparent that they are unbearable to listen to.

    Word by Word: His excuses (topic) too transparent being, listen (to) cannot withstand.

    This demonstrates the 'unbearable' aspect of the negative form 〜にたえない when used with a verb, meaning the excuses are of such low quality that one cannot bear to hear them.

  6. 皆様から多大なるご支援をいただき、感謝の念にたえません。

    Having received tremendous support from everyone, I cannot help but feel deep gratitude.

    Word by Word: Everyone from tremendous support (object) receiving, gratitude's feeling (to) cannot withstand.

    This shows the emotional use of the separate pattern 〜にたえない, specifically with the formal phrase 感謝の念（かんしゃのねん - feeling of gratitude）, expressing an emotion too strong to suppress. Note that this is distinct from the 'worth doing' pattern.

Common Mistakes

  • Using it for everyday physical actions like eating.

    この料理は食べるにたえる。
    この料理は食べる価値がある。

    〜にたえる is restricted to verbs or formal nouns involving evaluation or appreciation. For everyday activities like eating, use 価値がある（かちがある） instead.

  • Confusing the positive form for emotional expression.

    感謝にたえる。
    感謝にたえない。

    While the negative form 〜にたえない can express overwhelming emotion (e.g., 'cannot thank you enough'), the positive form 〜にたえる is never used to mean 'worth feeling' an emotion.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

〜にたえるLevel 5Can Withstand

Learn This First

The pattern '〜にたえる' (can withstand / is worth) is a formal expression used to indicate that something has enough value to be worth doing (like listening or watching) or enough strength to withstand a burden. It requires knowledge of the particle 'に' to mark the target and the ability to connect it to nouns or nominalized verbs.

Words in This Pattern

耐える