Understanding ~きんじえない (~kinji enai): A Streetwise JLPT N1 Grammar Guide

car

あいつの
あたら
しい派手
はで

くるま
に、嫉妬
しっと

きん

ない。
I can’t help but feel jealous of his flashy new car.

Category: ,

Right, so 「〜を禁じ得ない」 (wo kinjienai) is all about a feeling that just takes over, you get me? It’s when something hits you so hard you can’t front, you can’t put a lid on it. Imagine your top boy gets nicked by the feds. You see his mum crying her eyes out… you feel for her, innit? That deep sympathy you can’t shake off? That’s what this is. It’s not just being a bit sad, it’s that raw emotion bubbling up that you can’t stop. You’re absolutely gutted and there’s no hiding it. It’s a feeling that comes from the gut, and no matter how much of a hard geezer you are, it just spills out. It’s an internal thing, so you only really use it for your own feelings, not for what you think someone else is feeling. That’d just sound a bit dodgy.


Here’s the lowdown on how to stick this thing together.

NounFull PhraseEnglish Meaning
怒り
いか
りを
きん

ない
Cannot suppress one’s anger

なみだ

きん

ない
Cannot hold back one’s tears
笑い
わら
いを
きん

ない
Cannot hold back one’s laughter
同情 同情
どうじょう

きん

ない
Cannot help but feel sympathy
驚き
おどろ
きを
きん

ない
Cannot hide one’s surprise

It’s dead simple, really. You take a noun that’s a feeling, an emotion, yeah? Like ‘anger’ (怒り), ‘sympathy’ (同情), ‘surprise’ (驚き), whatever. Then you just slap 「を禁じ得ない」 right on the end of it. That’s it. No funny business. Just the noun for the feeling, then the grammar. Simple as.


Think of it like this: You’re in a rave, yeah? The DJ drops a riddim so heavy, the bassline is vibrating through your whole body. You’re trying to play it cool, lean against the wall, look hard. But you can’t. Your head starts nodding, your foot starts tapping. You can’t fight it. That beat is controlling you. That’s 「〜を禁じ得ない」. It’s an unstoppable force, an emotion so strong it takes over your body and you just have to go with it. You cannot help but react.


Here’s some new words for your vocabulary list.

非情な (ひじょうな)

English: Ruthless; heartless.

This is about bein’ cold, yeah? Proper ice in your veins. When you’re makin’ moves on the street, you can’t be sentimental. A ruthless guv’nor does what needs to be done, no tears, no feelings. It’s like in a heist flick, the geezer who leaves his own man behind ’cause he’s slowin’ ’em down. No heart, just business. That’s the game, innit?


拷問される (ごうもんされる)

English: To be tortured.

So this is the dark side of things. When you get bagged by the wrong firm and they want answers, they ain’t gonna ask nicely. They torture you. It’s gettin’ put through the wringer, proper pain to make you sing. Think of any gritty gangster film where the hero’s mate gets nabbed and they’re tryin’ to break him for info on the firm. It’s heavy, serious business you don’t wanna be involved in, simple as.


嫌悪感 (けんおかん)

English: Hatred; disgust; revulsion.

This is that feelin’ you get in your gut when you see a proper snake, a grass. It’s pure disgust, mate. It’s like when you hear a rapper spittin’ fake bars, pretendin’ he’s from the roads when he grew up posh. You just feel that revulsion, that deep dislike for somethin’ that ain’t right. It’s more than just not likin’ somethin’; it’s a proper physical reaction, makes you wanna screw up your face.


安堵 (あんど)

English: Relief.

Picture this: you’ve just pulled off a risky job, sirens are blarin’ everywhere, heart’s poundin’ out your chest. Then you make it back to the safe house, door locked, and the coast is clear. That deep breath you take? That’s relief, bruv. It’s that massive weight liftin’ off your shoulders when the danger’s passed. It’s the calm after the storm, the sweet feelin’ that you got away with it this time.


幻滅 (げんめつ)

English: Disillusionment.

This is when the penny drops and you see the ugly truth. You might look up to some top boy, thinkin’ he’s the real deal, a legend. Then you see him grass up his own crew to save his skin. That’s disillusionment. The image you had is shattered, yeah? It’s like listenin’ to an artist’s debut album, thinkin’ it’s a masterpiece, and then their next drop is a proper commercial sell-out. The magic’s gone, and you’re just left feelin’ let down.


Check these examples to see how it works on the streets.

あの幹部
かんぶ
非情
ひじょう
決断
けつだん
には、疑問
ぎもん

きん

ない。
I can’t help but have doubts about that executive’s heartless decision.

拷問
ごうもん
される裏切
うらぎ

もの
姿
すがた
に、嫌悪感
けんおかん

きん

なかった。
I couldn’t help but feel revulsion at the sight of the traitor being tortured.


かれ
家族
かぞく

かな
しみように、
ふか
同情
どうじょう

きん

ない。
Seeing the sorrow of his family, I cannot help but feel deep sympathy.

取引
とりひき
完璧
かんぺき
にうまくいった
とき
安堵
あんど
のため
いき

きん

なかった。
When the deal went perfectly, I couldn’t hold back a sigh of relief.


むかし
おか
した
あやま
ちを
おも

すと、後悔
こうかい

ねん

きん

ない
When I remember the mistakes I made in the past, I cannot help but feel regret.

新入
しんい
りの忠誠心
ちゅうせいしん
のなさに、失望
しつぼう

きん

ない。
I can’t help but be disappointed by the new recruit’s lack of loyalty.

仲間
なかま
逮捕
たいほ
されたと
き、
かれ
への同情
どうじょう

きん

ない。
Hearing that my mate got arrested, I can’t help but feel sympathy for him.

組織
そしき
血塗
ちぬ
られた歴史
れきし
真相
しんそう

った
とき
幻滅
げんめつ

きん

なかった。
When I learned the truth of the organization’s blood-soaked history, I couldn’t help but feel disillusioned.

法廷
ほうてい
証言
しょうげん
する一般
いっぱん市民
しみん
姿
すがた
に、
かれ
らの人生
じんせい

くる
わせたことへの同情
どうじょう

きん

なかった。
Seeing the civilians testifying in court, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for how we’d ruined their lives.

自分
じぶん自身
じしん
がただの
こま
だったと
さと
った
とき

はげ
しい
いきどお
りを
きん

なかった。
When I realised I had just been a pawn, I couldn’t suppress my intense indignation.


Aight, that’s your lesson. Keep your head down and your Japanese sharp. Safe.

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