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堪らない・たまらない (ranai tamaranai)

Unable to endure; overwhelmingly intense

Meaning & usage

〜てたまらない expresses a feeling, sensation, or desire so intense that it feels unbearable, whether pleasant or unpleasant. It attaches to the te-form, with i-adjectives ending in くて as in 暑くてたまらない, na-adjectives ending in で, and verbs ending in て, including wishes like 会いたくてたまらない and ほしくてたまらない. It is common in casual speech for strong emotion and often conveys eagerness when used with たい.

Example sentences 6

In past JLPT papers

This came up in 1 past exam question.

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