Translation guide
Expresses that someone cannot endure or tolerate something, whether physical, emotional, or situational. Japanese uses different constructions depending on what is unbearable.
To say you can't stand a situation, feeling, or state of affairs any longer.
A direct and common way to say you cannot bear something. Used for both physical and emotional endurance.
I can't bear this pain.
I can no longer bear his attitude.
Very common in spoken Japanese. 'Gaman' implies patience or forbearance, so this means you've reached your limit.
I can't bear this heat.
I can't bear his lies anymore.
Expresses that you cannot remain in a state or continue doing something because it's unbearable. Often used with verbs like 黙って (damatte, silently) or じっと (jitto, still).
I can't bear to stay silent.
I can't bear to stay still.
A formal, somewhat literary expression meaning 'cannot bear' or 'cannot help but'. Often used in writing or formal speech.
Unable to bear the sight, he looked away.
To express that doing something would be emotionally too difficult or painful.
Used when you cannot bring yourself to do something because it feels cruel, sad, or pitiful. Often used with verbs like 見る (miru, to see) or 言う (iu, to say).
I can't bear to see her sad face.
I couldn't bear to tell the truth.
A straightforward way to say doing something is emotionally painful or hard to bear.
I can't bear to break up with him.
Means you can't bring yourself to do something, often because you feel too down or it's too painful.
I can't bear to do anything.
To express that even imagining a situation is unbearable.
Literally 'I can't even think of ~', used when the idea is too awful to contemplate.
I can't bear the thought of him leaving.
A slightly formal way to say something is hard to bear. 'Taegatai' means 'hard to endure'.
To express strong dislike or intolerance towards a person or their actions.
Stronger than 'gaman dekinai'. Implies you absolutely cannot tolerate someone or something.
I can't bear his rude attitude.
Means 'unforgivable', often used when someone's actions are unbearable because they are morally wrong.
I can't bear his betrayal.
Simply means 'dislike' or 'hate'. In context, it can convey that you can't stand someone.
Both mean 'cannot bear', but 耐えられない (taerarenai) focuses on endurance of hardship, while 我慢できない (gaman dekinai) focuses on patience and forbearance. In many situations they are interchangeable, but 我慢できない is more common in daily conversation for minor irritations.
I can't bear the noise.
I can't bear the loneliness.
Do not use 熊 (kuma, bear) or 運ぶ (hakobu, to carry) to translate 'bear' in this sense. These are completely unrelated.
The thought of losing him is unbearable.
あの人が嫌いだ。
I can't bear that person.