〜に足る: Enough to / Worthy of (Sufficient for the Purpose)
Clearing the bar for a purpose
〜に足る says something meets, or exceeds, the standard required for whatever precedes it — being trusted, being noticed, being spoken of.
彼は信頼に足る人物だ。
かれは しんらいに たる じんぶつだ。
He is a person worthy of trust.
信頼に足る = enough to be trusted.
これは注目に足る発見だ。
これは ちゅうもくに たる はっけんだ。
This is a discovery worth paying attention to.
Noun/verb + に足る
| Attaches to | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun (esp. 信頼, 注目, 称賛) | Nに足る | 信頼に足る |
| Verb (dictionary form) | Vに足る | 言うに足る |
やったんの努力は、みんなが認めるに足るものだった。
やったんの どりょくは、みんなが みとめるに たる ものだった。
Yattan's effort was enough to earn everyone's recognition.
に足る vs. に値する
Both translate as "worth/worthy of," but they picture different things. に値する is about deserving something in an absolute, often evaluative sense — an achievement, a prize, a punishment (表彰に値する, "worthy of commendation"). に足る is about being adequate or sufficient for a specific need — 信頼に足る literally says "enough to meet the standard for being trusted," not "deserving of trust" in the abstract. When the sentence is about clearing a practical threshold, に足る fits better; when it's about deserving recognition or reward, reach for に値する.
The short version
- 〜に足る = "enough to / worthy of / sufficient for [a purpose]"
- Attaches to: a noun (信頼, 注目) or the dictionary form of a verb
- Nuance/register: literary/formal, close to written 足りる
- Don't confuse with: に値する (deserving something in an absolute, evaluative sense)
Practice it
Choose に足る where the sentence says something is adequate or sufficient for a purpose.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
彼は信頼＿＿＿人物だ。
More N1 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜によらず — によらず is a formal expression meaning 'regardless of / irrespective of' (年齢によらず参加できる). It attaches to a noun to state that a rule or possibility holds no matter what that factor is, often in official announcements.
- 〜の至り — 〜の至り attaches to an emotion noun to mean 'the utmost' or 'the height of' — 光栄の至り (the height of honor). It's a formal, often humble expression for feeling something at its most extreme, typically joy, honor, or shame.
- 〜の極み — 〜の極み attaches to a noun to mean 'the height of' or 'the extreme of' — 贅沢の極み (the height of luxury). Like 〜の至り, it marks a state at its absolute peak, but it leans toward describing situations and conditions, often negative ones.
- 〜のみか — 〜のみか means 'not only... but even/also,' formally introducing a second fact that goes further than expected — 英語のみか、フランス語も (not only English, but even French). It's close to 〜のみならず but often stresses surprise at the added extreme.
- 〜思いをする — 〜思いをする attaches after an adjective (often た-form or stem) to mean 'to go through/experience [that feeling]' — 悔しい思いをする ('to feel bitter regret'). It almost always describes an unpleasant or difficult emotional experience.
- 〜折に — 〜折に is a formal expression meaning 'on the occasion of' or 'at the time when' — 東京にお越しの折に ('when you happen to visit Tokyo'). It politely marks a fitting opportunity, common in letters and formal speech.