N3 · Expressions (N3) · about 5 minutes
てたまらない, てしかたがない: unbearably, terribly
feelings too strong to hold back
The te-form plus たまらない or しかたがない says that a feeling or sensation is so strong you can hardly bear it.
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Words you will need5
They appear in this topic’s examples and exercises and are new at this point on the learning path.
- 喉throat
- 渇くto be thirsty (of the throat)
- たまらないunbearable; can't stand
- 仕方way of doing something
- 退屈bored; boring
Missing a word? Look it up in the dictionary
Understand
RememberA feeling you cannot hold back: てたまらない, てしかたがない — about yourself, not about facts.
- Signal words
- 〜てたまらない
- 〜でたまらない
- 〜てしかたがない
- 〜てしょうがない
The form
The patterns at a glance
Each row first says when or what the pattern is used for, then gives an example in Japanese.
| unbearably hot | 暑くてたまらない |
| so happy I can hardly bear it | 嬉しくてたまらない |
| terribly worried | 心配でたまらない |
| dying to go home | 帰りたくてたまらない |
| terribly sleepy | 眠くてしかたがない |
| so bored (casual) | 暇でしょうがない |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is aboutThe word that calls for it
Te-form of a feeling + たまらない: overwhelmingly.
喉が渇いてたまらない。I am desperately thirsty.
A na-adjective takes で before たまらない.
明日の試験が心配でたまらない。I am terribly worried about tomorrow's exam.
てしかたがない (しょうがない) means much the same, often as a complaint.
朝から頭が痛くてしかたがない。My head has been aching terribly since this morning.
The patterns describe the speaker's own feelings; for others add ようだ or らしい.
子どもたちは夏休みが楽しみでたまらないようだ。The children seem to be looking forward enormously to the summer holidays.
Example sentences
試験に合格して、嬉しくてたまらない。I passed the exam and I am overjoyed.
国の家族に会いたくてたまらない。I am longing to see my family back home.
今日は寒くてたまらない。It is bitterly cold today.
10 more example sentences
彼の言ったことが気になってしかたがない。I can't stop thinking about what he said.
一人で寂しくてしょうがない。I am terribly lonely on my own.
授業が退屈でたまらなかった。The class was unbearably boring.
お腹が空いてたまらない。I am starving.
足が痛くてたまらない。My feet are killing me.
早く結果が知りたくてしかたがない。I am dying to know the result.
彼女に会えなくて寂しくてたまらない。I miss her terribly because I cannot see her.
面接の前は不安でたまらなかった。Before the interview I was terribly anxious.
花粉の季節は目がかゆくてしょうがない。In hay fever season my eyes itch like mad.
その映画の結末が気になってたまらない。I can't stop wondering how the film ends.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English "so big" and "so cold" look alike, and learners use the pattern for any strong description. But たまらない and しかたがない report a feeling the speaker cannot control — cold, worry, longing. The size of a room is a fact, and a fact takes とても.
Quick check
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The full explanation
Read it all · about 1 min
たまらない means "cannot bear", and after the te-form of a word for a feeling or a sensation it says that the feeling is overwhelming: 暑くてたまらない, "it is unbearably hot"; 会いたくてたまらない, "I am dying to see them". しかたがない, "there is nothing to be done", works the same way: 眠くてしかたがない, "I am terribly sleepy". In speech it is often しょうがない.
The word before them is an i-adjective in the te-form (寒くて, 嬉しくて), a na-adjective with で (心配で, 退屈で), or a たい-form (帰りたくて). Some verbs of feeling are also used: 気になってしかたがない, "I can't stop thinking about it".
Both describe the speaker's own feelings, like たい and ほしい. About somebody else, Japanese adds ようだ, らしい or そうだ: 彼は寂しくてたまらないようだ. たまらないsounds a little more emotionalしかたがないa little more like a complaint about a state that will not go away
English uses intensifiers — "so", "terribly", "dying to" — and learners use とても, which is correct but flat. These patterns say the feeling is beyond control, and they cannot describe facts: この部屋は広くてたまらない is wrong, because a large room is not a feeling.
A closer look
From "cannot bear" to "irresistible"
たまらない on its own, without a te-form, is often positive in speech: このラーメン、たまらない, "this ramen is irresistible". The feeling is still overwhelming; it is just a pleasant one.
しかたがない on its own means "it can't be helped": 雨だからしかたがない. With a te-form before it, the same helplessness is turned on a feeling — the speaker cannot help feeling that way.
Exceptions and special cases1
Exception
When the subject is somebody else
then add a word that shows the feeling is observed: ようだ, らしい, そうだ or と言っている.
妹は犬がほしくてたまらないらしい。My younger sister apparently wants a dog desperately.
Why? As with たい and 寂しい, nobody can report another person's feelings from the inside.
Worth knowing1
Worth knowing
ならない in writing
Written Japanese has a third form, てならない, used mostly with feelings and impressions that arise by themselves: 残念でならない, "I deeply regret it"; 気がしてならない, "I cannot shake the feeling".
何か悪いことが起きる気がしてならない。I cannot shake the feeling that something bad is going to happen.