んばかり

Level

JLPT N1

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んばかり

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nbakariAdjectival, Descriptions

Yuzuo Chan

11.06.2025

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Meaning

Looks as if about to A; almost A; as if (someone) were A-ing. It describes a vivid appearance, gesture or degree, often exaggerated, when the action itself has not actually happened.

Conjugation

(A)Vない- ない + ん + ばかり + だ: (A)Vない- ない + ん + ばかり + の + Noun

Examples

Show translation

彼女かのじょは今いまにも泣なかんばかりの顔かおで私わたしを見みつめていた。

試合しあいが終おわると、スタジアムは割われんばかりの拍手はくしゅに包つつまれた。

この古ふるい橋はしは、今いまにも崩くずれ落おちんばかりだ。

「あなたの助たすけなんかいらない」と言いわんばかりに、彼かれは顔かおをそむけた。

母ははは飛とび上あがらんばかりに喜よろこんで、私わたしを抱だきしめた。

山田やまださんは土下座どげざせんばかりに頭あたまを下さげて謝あやまった。

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.title

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 泣なかなんばかりに喜よろこんだ

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 泣なかんばかりに喜よろこんだ

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: Remove the whole ない from the negative form and add ん. Only removing い gives a non-existent form, 泣かなん.

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 土下座どげざしんばかりに謝あやまった

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 土下座どげざせんばかりに謝あやまった

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: する becomes せ in this pattern (せんばかり), as in the classical negative せぬ/せん. しんばかり is not used.

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.wrong: 彼かれは病気びょうきのせいで死しなんばかりのせいで会社かいしゃを休やすんだ

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.correct: 彼かれは死しなんばかりに苦くるしんでいた

grammarDetailPage.commonMistakes.why: んばかり describes how something looks or its degree. It is not used to give a cause or reason, so it does not combine with のせいで. Also do not confuse it with the causal ばかりに ('just because…').

Key points

Formal, literary and common in writing and news. The verb is in its ない-form with ない replaced by ん, as in 泣なかんばかり (する → せんばかり). It is often used with 今いまにも and describes what someone or something looks like; it is rarely used for ordinary actual events. Compared with ~そうだ ('looks like it will…'), んばかり is more dramatic and stresses the strength of a visible sign. Set phrases include 割われんばかりの拍手はくしゅ, 溢あふれんばかりの笑顔えがお and 言いわんばかりに.

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