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N2

てならない

Very, Extremely, Can't help but do

昨日きのうは徹夜てつやして勉強べんきょうしてたから、眠ねむくてならない。

I was up all night studying yesterday, so I'm extremely sleepy.

Explanation

「てならない」 means 'I can't help feeling...'. A feeling, hunch or worry is not forced; it wells up from inside and cannot be held back. It mainly follows words like 「思われる」, 「思い出される」, 「気がする」, and 「心配だ」, 「残念だ」, 「不安だ」, 「悔やまれる」. Example: 「彼のことが心配でならない」 (I can't stop worrying about him). It is a rather formal, written form.

Mixed up with

「てならない」: fits best with 「思える」, 「気がする」, 「気になる」; thoughts that arise on their own; a written register.

「てたまらない」: the usual choice for bodily sensations (pain, itching, heat, hunger, thirst) and urgent wants (〜たくてたまらない); 「てならない」 can also take them but sounds stiffer.

「てしょうがない」: you can do nothing about the situation.

Easily confused withてたまらない・てしょうがない・てならない: the difference ›てはかなわない・てたまらない・てならない: the difference ›

Examples

  1. ここ五ご年間ねんかん娘むすめと連絡れんらくがつかないから、心配しんぱいでならない。

    I can't help but to feel worried because I haven't heard from my daughter in 5 years.

  2. 明日あしたの見学けんがくが楽たのしみでならない。

    I can't help but look forward to tomorrow's field trip.

  3. 詐欺さぎにあった気きがしてならない。

    I can't help but feel it was a scam.

Tested 2 times in past papers

N2 · Jul 2017, Q36N1 · Dec 2014, Q34