Grammar - Grade 2 List View

Review these list items to study and edit your keyphrase and other memory aids.
Grammar Point
Ichidan verb
v1 
word usually written using kana alone
uk 
suffix
suf 
A Keyphrase should be a short phrase that brings to mind and helps to remember the information on this frame.
かねる

to be unable to, to find difficult (unpleasant, awkward, painful) to do

Verb ます stem + かねる

This grammar point is used when a person wants to do something but cannot because of social, moral, or psychological constraints. It implies that the action is difficult, painful, or awkward to perform in a given situation.

Attach かねる directly to the stem of a verb to express that the action is hard to do or impossible to carry out due to external circumstances or internal feelings.

I am unable to agree with that opinion.

I cannot decide right now.

I find it difficult to watch such a sad movie.

Note

かねる is often used in formal or polite situations to decline a request or to express hesitation. It is generally not used for physical inability (like not being able to reach a high shelf), but rather for situational or emotional impossibility. Note that although it is written in a positive form, it carries a negative meaning equivalent to 'cannot'.

Words: 
兼ねるかねる
Radicals of radicals