〜に足る / 〜に足らない (worthy of / unworthy of)
N1 grammar pattern 〜に足る/〜に足らない: expressing that something is (or is not) worthy of, sufficient for, or meeting the standard required for X.
〜に足る / 〜に足らない
Formality Level: Formal / Literary — formal evaluation, criticism, literary prose
Classical Origin: 足る (taru) is the classical/literary form of 足りる (tariru, to be sufficient/adequate). The classical form 足る remains in use in formal and literary Japanese in fixed expressions. 〜に足る means "sufficient for/adequate to X" → "worthy of X." 〜に足らない means "not sufficient for X" → "not worthy of / beneath."
Structure
| Form | Usage | Example |
|---|---|---|
| V-dict + に足る | worthy of doing/receiving | 信頼に足る |
| V-dict + に足らない | unworthy of | 問題とするに足らない |
| Noun + に足る/足らない | (rarer) | — |
Meaning
〜に足る: "Worthy of / sufficient to justify / meeting the standard for" 〜に足らない: "Unworthy of / not sufficient to justify / beneath the standard for"
Example Sentences
| Japanese | English |
|---|---|
| 彼は信頼に足る人物だ。いかなる状況でも約束を守る。 | He is a person worthy of trust. He keeps his promises in any situation. |
| その証拠は、法廷で採用されるに足る信憑性を持っていない。 | The evidence does not have the credibility sufficient to be admitted in court. |
| 取るに足らない問題に時間を費やすのは賢明ではない。 | It is not wise to spend time on problems not worth worrying about. |
| 彼女の業績は、後世に語り継がれるに足るものだ。 | Her achievements are worthy of being passed down to future generations. |
| 敵とみなすに足らない相手に、力を使う必要はない。 | There is no need to exert effort on an opponent not worthy of being considered an enemy. |
| この発言は、真剣に反論するに足るものではない。 | This statement is not worthy of serious rebuttal. |
Comparison with Related Patterns
| Pattern | Register | Meaning | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 〜に足る | Formal/literary | Worthy of / sufficient for | Classical 足る; formal evaluative |
| 〜に値する | Formal | Deserving of / meriting | Closer to "deserves" (value-judgment); often positive |
| 〜にふさわしい | Semi-formal | Appropriate for / befitting | Suitability; less evaluative of worthiness |
| 〜に値しない | Formal | Undeserving of | See next entry; similar to に足らない |
When NOT to Use
- Do not use in casual speech: 足る and 足らない are literary forms. In everyday Japanese: 〜する価値がない, 〜にふさわしくない.
- Note the set expression 取るに足らない: This fixed phrase means "trivial / not worth taking up" and is widely used even in semi-formal contexts as a fixed idiom.