Grammar › Manner & Implication
てはばからない — “doesn't hesitate to say/do, openly (asserts)”
Says someone states something boldly and without any embarrassment or restraint
Verb te-form + はばからない (from 憚る, “to hesitate/feel reserved”) says someone does or says something — usually a bold claim — without any hesitation or shame, often implying a note of audacity. It's almost always paired with verbs of speaking (言う, 断言する).
How to form it
| Pattern | Example |
|---|---|
| Te-form + はばからない | 自分が一番だと言ってはばからない — He openly declares, without any hesitation, that he's the best |
Example sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 彼は自分の意見が正しいと言ってはばからない。 | かれはじぶんのいけんがただしいといってはばからない。 karehajibunnoikengatadashiitoittehabakaranai。 | He boldly insists his own opinion is correct, no hesitation about it. |
| 彼女は誰よりも努力したと断言してはばからなかった。 | かのじょはだれよりもどりょくしたとだんげんしてはばからなかった。 kanojohadareyorimodoryokushitatodangenshitehabakaranakatta。 | She flatly declared, without hesitation, that she'd worked harder than anyone. |
| 若手社員が社長のやり方を批判してはばからない。 | わかてしゃいんがしゃちょうのやりかたをひはんしてはばからない。 wakateshaingashachounoyarikatawohihanshitehabakaranai。 | The young employee openly criticizes the president's approach without a second thought. |
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Watch out
てはばからない almost always carries a note of audacity or boldness — it's not a neutral way to say “said confidently”; it implies the speaker perhaps should have hesitated but didn't.