〜に足る

Worth/deserving

Level 5Sounds Like nitaru

〜に足る（にたる）is a formal, literary pattern used to say that something has enough value, merit, or quality to justify a certain treatment or conclusion. It is often translated as 'worthy of' or 'deserving of.'

How It Works

1. Meaning and Usage
〜に足る is used when you want to state that a person or thing possesses the necessary qualities to be treated in a specific way. It implies a rational, high-level assessment rather than a personal feeling. Common pairings include abstract nouns like 信頼（しんらい）or 尊敬（そんけい）, and verbs like 見る（みる）or 疑う（うたがう）.

2. Grammatical Structure
The pattern attaches directly to:

  • Nouns: する-verb nouns (verbal nouns) without する (e.g., 信頼する → 信頼に足る). Note that using the full verb form is also grammatically valid (e.g., 満足（まんぞく）するに足る).
  • Verbs: The dictionary form (e.g., 恐れる（おそれる）に足る).

It is especially common in its attributive (noun-modifying) role, taking the structure [Verb/Noun] + に足る + [Noun], but it can also be used directly at the end of a sentence (e.g., 彼（かれ）は信頼に足る。). Both 〜に足る and the modern verb 〜に足りる are correct and commonly used.

3. Negative Form
To negate this pattern, you can negate the end of the sentence (e.g., 信頼に足る情報（じょうほう）ではない). However, changing the verb to 足らない（たらない） or 足りない（たりない） is also a standard grammar pattern. The difference between the two stems from their origins: 足らない comes from the classical verb 足る (a Godan verb), while 足りない comes from the modern verb 足りる (an Ichidan verb). Both are used, but 足らない is more common in fixed expressions. It is commonly used with words like 信じる（しんじる）, 頼む（たのむ）, and 信頼（しんらい） (e.g., 信頼に足らない). There are also fixed idioms like 取るに足らない（とるにたらない）, which means 'trivial' or 'not worth mentioning.' Additionally, you will frequently encounter the classical negative form 〜に足らず（たらず）, as in the common idiom 恐るるに足らず（おそるるにたらず - 'nothing to fear'). Important: The negative forms 〜に足りない and 〜に足らない are most commonly used with a small group of fixed verbs and nouns. While you might occasionally see them used descriptively with other verbs (e.g., 満足するに足りない), it is generally safer and more natural to negate the end of the sentence: 満足するに足る結果（けっか）ではない.

4. Register and Nuance
This is an advanced pattern encountered in newspapers, legal documents, and formal speeches. It is not used for everyday trivialities. For example, you wouldn't use it to say a ramen shop is 'worthy of eating'; instead, you would use the more direct and natural everyday alternative, 価値（かち）がある.

Examples (4)

  1. 彼は次期社長として、十分に信頼に足る人物だ。

    He is a person fully worthy of trust as the next president.

    Word by Word: He next-term president as, sufficiently trust-to-be-worthy person is.

    Here, 'trust'（信頼）is the benchmark, and the subject is evaluated as meeting that standard.

  2. それは取るに足らない小さな問題ですから、心配しないでください。

    That is a trivial (not worth mentioning) problem, so please don't worry.

    Word by Word: That take-to-not-be-sufficient small problem is because, worry don't please.

    The negative form '取るに足らない'（とるにたらない）is a very common set phrase meaning 'trivial' or 'insignificant' (literally: not worth picking up).

  3. この証拠は、彼を犯人と断定するに足るものだ。

    This evidence is sufficient to conclude that he is the culprit.

    Word by Word: This evidence, him culprit-as conclude-to-be-sufficient thing is.

    In legal or investigative contexts, this pattern indicates that the evidence meets the functional requirement for a conclusion.

  4. 彼の作品は、世界的な評価を受けるに足る質を備えている。

    His work possesses a quality worthy of receiving worldwide acclaim.

    Word by Word: His work, worldwide evaluation receive-to-be-worthy quality possesses.

    This example shows the pattern used with a verb to indicate that the quality of the work justifies the outcome of 'receiving acclaim'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the pattern for casual, everyday preferences.

    この映画は見るに足るよ。
    この映画は見に行く価値があるよ。

    〜に足る is too formal for a casual movie recommendation. Use 価値（かち）がある (worth/value) for everyday opinions.

How It Connects

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

〜に足るLevel 5Worth/deserving

Learn This First

The pattern '〜に足る' (worth/deserving) is a formal expression derived from the verb '足る' (to be sufficient). To understand it, you need to know how the particle 'に' marks a target and how phrases function as modifiers for nouns. It is typically used with nouns or the dictionary form of verbs to indicate that something has enough value to merit a certain action, such as being trusted or seen.

Words in This Pattern

足る