忍(しの)び難(がた)い

しのびがたい
i-adjective
unbearable, intolerable
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present忍(しの)び難(がた)い忍(しの)び難(がた)くない
Past忍(しの)び難(がた)かった忍(しの)び難(がた)くなかった
て form忍(しの)び難(がた)くて忍(しの)び難(がた)くなくて
Adverbial忍(しの)び難(がた)く—
Conditional ば忍(しの)び難(がた)ければ忍(しの)び難(がた)くなければ
Conditional たら忍(しの)び難(がた)かったら忍(しの)び難(がた)くなかったら
1. unbearable, intolerable, hard to endure
Describes a situation or feeling that is extremely difficult to bear or tolerate. A literary, elevated expression.
忍(しの)び難(がた)い苦(くる)しみ。
Unbearable suffering.
この屈辱(くつじょく)は忍(しの)び難(がた)いものがある。
This humiliation is something truly hard to bear.
忍(しの)び難(がた)きを忍(しの)び、耐(た)え難(がた)きを耐(た)え。
Enduring the unendurable, bearing the unbearable.
Famous phrase from Emperor Hirohito's 1945 radio address announcing Japan's surrender.

A literary compound adjective from 忍(しの)ぶ (to endure) + 難(がた)い (difficult to). The pattern verb stem + 難(がた)い is productive in formal Japanese.

FAMOUS USAGE:
The phrase 忍(しの)び難(がた)きを忍(しの)び (耐(た)え難(がた)きを耐(た)え) is one of the most famous lines in modern Japanese history, from Emperor Showa's radio broadcast on August 15, 1945, announcing Japan's acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration.

SIMILAR WORDS:

  • 耐(た)え難(がた)い: unbearable — near-synonym; focuses on endurance rather than patience
  • 我慢(がまん)できない: can't stand it — everyday equivalent; conversational
  • 堪(た)えられない: unbearable — slightly more formal than 我慢(がまん)できない
general
Added 2026.3.27 14:36
19500/19912_shinobigatai