1.
to be fit for, to be able to fill a role, to manage a duty
To be capable of fulfilling a role, position, or responsibility. Often used in negative form to express that someone is not up to the task.
私にはこの役は務まらない。
I'm not fit for this role.
彼なら部長が十分務まるだろう。
He should be well-suited for the position of department head.
経験がないと、この仕事は務まらないよ。
Without experience, you won't be able to handle this job.
務まる is the intransitive counterpart of 務める (to serve as, to fill a role). It expresses whether someone is capable of the role, rather than the act of performing it.
TRANSITIVITY:
- Type: Intransitive (自動詞)
- Pattern: 〜が務まる / 〜は務まらない
COMMON PATTERNS:
- 〜が務まる: to be capable of (the role)
- 〜は務まらない: to not be up to (the task)
- 〜には務まらない: (someone) is not fit for ~
USAGE: Very frequently used in negative form (務まらない). The positive form implies confident assessment of someone's abilities.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 務める: to serve as, to perform (transitive — the act of filling a role)
- 務まる: to be fit for, to be up to (intransitive — capability for a role)