～んばかりに
〜n bakari ni
JLPT N1 Very formal, literary
Formation
Verb-negative stem + ん + ばかりに
Indicates 'as though about to ~' or 'as if to say ~'.
When to use
んばかりに: as if about to (泣き出さんばかりに).
Explanation
The ～んばかりに form is typically built on the negative stem of a verb (ない-form minus ない: 行か -> 行かん, 言わ -> 言わん, 知ら -> 知らん, etc.) + ばかり. It describes someone’s action or expression as though it were about to happen, or as though conveying a certain meaning without explicitly stating it.
Example sentences
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He ignored my question as if he didn’t know anything.
Kare wa nanimo shir-an bakari ni, watashi no shitsumon o mushi shita.
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The child made a face as if he were about to cry.
Sono ko wa nakan bakari ni kao o shikameta.
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She covered her mouth as though she were about to burst out laughing.
Kanojo wa warawan bakari ni kuchimoto o osaeta.
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He sighed over and over as if to say he was bored.
Kare wa taikutsu da to iwan bakari ni, tameiki o nando mo tsuita.
Pretending (Pretend To / As If To Say)
- ～ふりをする〜furi wo suruN3Pretending or acting as if; 'pretend', 'act like'.
- ～ぶる〜buruN1Used when someone is acting or pretending to be something…
- ～と言わんばかりに〜to iwan bakari niN1Indicates an action or behavior that strongly implies a…
- ～と言わんばかりの Noun～to iwan bakari no NounN1Expresses the concept of 'as if to say'; 'almost says'…
Corpus examples (10)
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She went mad with delight to hear the news.
彼は神とおぼしきものを目にして、飛び上がらんばかりに喜びはじめた。
He began an exultation to what he perceived as God.
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You did a lot of work in frantic haste.
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They looked at us, as much as to say, "Poor creature."
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He nodded as much as to say that he agreed.
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She winked at me as much as to say she knew everything.
息子の事故の知らせを聞いて彼女は気も狂わんばかりに悲しんでいた。
She was beside herself with grief at the news of her son's accident.
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My friend shook his head as much as to say "impossible".
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He nodded as much as to say, I agree.
「あなたを愛しているのよ」と言わんばかりに彼女は僕にウィンクした。
She winked at me, as much as to say, I love you.