勘弁・勘辨|かんべんkanben[1]atamadaka (head-high)

1. noun, suru verb, transitive verbpardon; forgiveness; forbearance
   同おなじことを何回なんかい繰り返くりかえすの。屋上おくじょう屋やを架かすようなくどい説明せつめいは勘弁かんべんしてよ。↗

   You're wasting your time with all this needless repetition, so spare us the long-winded explanation.

• Synonym容赦ようしゃNeutralLeniency or going easy on someone, usually in negatives like 「容赦しない」 or 「容赦なく」. 「勘弁」 is what you say when asking to be spared.
• Synonym堪忍かんにんNeutralHolding back anger to forgive someone; also endurance, as in 「堪忍袋の緒が切れる」. In everyday pleas, 「勘弁して」 is the more common choice.
• Synonym寛恕かんじょFormalFormal written word for forgiving magnanimously, often seen in letters of apology. Colloquial pleas for mercy use 「勘弁」.
• Related許すゆるすNeutralThe everyday verb, covering both forgiving and allowing. 「勘弁」 asks to be spared or let off—no wrongdoing required—and can also decline a troublesome task.
• Related耐えるたえるNeutralA verb for enduring pain or withstanding outside force, as in 「痛みに耐える」. It carries no sense of forgiving and cannot replace 「勘弁」.
• Related我慢がまんNeutralEndurance and self-restraint, common in speech. It is about bearing things yourself, so it is not interchangeable with 「勘弁」, which is about forgiving others.
• Related忍耐にんたいWrittenWritten-style word for fortitude under hardship, as in 「忍耐力」. It concerns one's own endurance and has no sense of forgiving others.
• Related辛抱しんぼうNeutralPatiently sticking it out, as in 「辛抱強い」. The focus is on holding out yourself, so it cannot express forgiveness.
• Related海容かいようFormalLetter-writing term, usually 「ご海容ください」, a very formal request for forgiveness. 「勘弁」 is the colloquial way to ask.
• Related宥恕ゆうじょFormalFormal written word for lenient forgiveness without pressing blame, leaning legal or official. Everyday speech uses 「許す」 or 「勘弁」.
• RelatedこらえるNeutralA verb mainly for holding back or restraining, as in 「涙をこらえる」. It can occasionally mean to forgive, but pleas normally say 「勘弁して」.
• Related隠忍いんにんWrittenWritten word for enduring silently without letting it show, as in 「隠忍自重」. It is about self-restraint, not forgiveness.
• Relatedこらえ性こらえしょうCasualColloquial noun for a person's capacity to endure, usually in the negative 「こらえ性がない」. It describes temperament and does not express forgiveness.
• RelatedたまるNeutralMostly in negatives like 「たまらない」 or 「たまるか」, meaning unbearable. It overlaps with 「勘弁」 only in tolerance and is not interchangeable.
• Antonym処罰しょばつWrittenAntonym: inflicting punishment, usually as called for by rules or regulations—the opposite of 「勘弁」's letting a matter go unpursued.
• Antonym罰するばっするNeutralAntonym: a verb meaning to punish or penalize, as in 「違反者を罰する」—the opposite of 「勘弁」's forgiving a fault.

Use 「勘弁」 to ask someone to spare you or let you off, as in 「勘弁してください」. For everyday forgiving use 「許す」, for going easy on someone 「容赦」, and in letters of apology 「ご海容」. 「我慢」 and 「耐える」 are about bearing things yourself.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 他人たにんの過あやまちや要求ようきゅうなどを許ゆるすこと。堪忍かんにん。赦免しゃめん。容赦ようしゃ。
2. 過あやまちに対たいする叱責しっせきや罰ばつなどをやめること。
3. 役職やくしょくなどの就任しゅうにんや仕事しごとの引き受ひきうけなどをしないでいいよう認みとめること。
4. いたずらや嫌いやがらせ、長ながいスピーチや下手へたな歌うた、大量たいりょうの仕事しごと、過剰かじょうなほめことばなど、人ひとを当惑とうわくさせるようなことをやめること。
5. （古いにしえ）物事ものごとを十分じゅうぶんに考かんがえること。
6. （古いにしえ）やりくりが得意とくいなこと。計算けいさんに明あかるいこと。