modality N3 common casualpolitewritten
てたまらない — unbearably ~
てたまらない
Meaning
- unbearably ~ / so ~ I can't stand it — an extreme, overwhelming feeling or sensation
Key sentence
新しいゲームがやりたくてたまらない。
I want to play the new game so badly I can't stand it.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| い-adjective (drop い) + くて | Adj(−い) + くて + たまらない | 寒い → 寒くてたまらない |
| な-adjective + で | な-adj + で + たまらない | 不安 → 不安でたまらない |
| Verb (たい-form / 〜て) | V-たくて + たまらない | 会いたくてたまらない |
Examples
試験の結果が気になってたまらない。
I can't stop worrying about my exam results.
国の家族に会いたくてたまらない。
I miss my family back home so much I can't bear it.
When you can't use it
- 〜てたまらない expresses a spontaneous feeling or bodily sensation welling up in the speaker, so it centers on the first person's emotions/desires/sensations (暑い, 眠い, 〜たい, 心配だ). It doesn't describe a third party's inner state directly, and doesn't take a deliberate action verb.
Easily confused with
〜てしかたがない Nearly synonymous 'can't help ~ / extremely ~.' てたまらない stresses a sharp, physical, almost overwhelming intensity; てしかたがない is a touch broader and often used for feelings you can't control (and has the casual variant てしょうがない). 〜てならない てならない is more literary and limited to spontaneous feelings and thoughts (気がしてならない = 'can't help feeling'). てたまらない is more colloquial and includes physical sensations (痛くてたまらない = 'unbearably painful').
See てたまらない in real sentences
Jengo shows てたまらない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar, A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar.