Grammar › Manner & Implication
んばかりに — “as if about to, all but…”
Describes an action or expression so intense it looks like it's on the very verge of something more
Verb's negative-stem + んばかりに describes something done with such visible intensity that it looks like it's about to spill over into an even more extreme action — “as if about to do X” or “all but doing X,” without X actually happening. It's vivid, literary, and often paired with dramatic gestures or emotions.
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Nai-stem + んばかりに | 泣かんばかりに頼み込んだ — He begged as if he were about to cry |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 彼女は飛び上がらんばかりに喜んだ。 | かのじょはとびあがらんばかりによろこんだ。 kanojohatobiagaranbakariniyorokonda。 | She was so happy she looked ready to jump for joy. |
| 今にも倒れんばかりに疲れ切っていた。 | いまにもたおれんばかりにつかれきっていた。 imanimotaorenbakarinitsukarekitteita。 | He was so exhausted he looked about to collapse at any moment. |
| 帰れと言わんばかりの態度をとられた。 | かえれといわんばかりのたいどをとられた。 kaeretoiwanbakarinotaidowotorareta。 | I was treated with an attitude that all but said "get out." |
🔊 Tap any Japanese sentence to hear it; kanji link to their study pages.
Watch out
んばかりに describes something that looks like it's about to happen but doesn't actually cross that line — the emphasis is entirely on the visible intensity, not on the action itself occurring.