Japanese with Manga

Curiosity I can't hold back with 〜きれねー

Grammar Explanation: Unable to finish with 〜きれない (Future entry)

A close-up of Conan grinning against a dark background, the light glinting off his glasses.
名探偵コナン » Volume 12 » Page 18

Conan, Professor Agasa, and the Detective Boys are exploring the empty villa of Agasa’s late uncle. Conan has found signs that a skilled old man secretly lived there, and the children have found rows of strange figures that Conan recognizes as a code, like the one in Sherlock Holmes’s “The Adventure of the Dancing Men”. Agasa notices how pleased he looks and asks whether he can read it. Conan admits he can’t make sense of any of it yet.

コナン:
「わくわくしちまうんだよ!!」
“That's what gets me so excited!!”
「わからなければわからねーほどうずくんだ!!」
“The less I understand, the more it itches!!”
「オレの中(なか)のおさえきれねー好奇心(こうきしん)がな!!!」
“This curiosity inside me that I can't hold back!!!”

Key Points

1おさえきれねー好奇心(こうきしん), “curiosity I can’t hold back”
  • おさえ is the stem of 抑(おさ)える, “to hold down” or “suppress”. 〜きれない says Conan can’t fully keep his curiosity in check, however hard he might try.
  • きれねー is a rough spoken form of きれない. The ない becomes ねー, which suits Conan’s excited, boyish tone.
  • The whole phrase オレの中(なか)のおさえきれねー describes 好奇心(こうきしん), “the curiosity inside me that I can’t hold back”.
2わからなければわからねーほど, “the less I understand, the more…”
  • 〜ば〜ほど repeats a verb to say that one thing grows with another. わからなければわからないほど is “the less I understand”. Again, ない becomes ねー the second time.
3The subject comes last
  • うずく means “to itch” or “throb”. What itches is the curiosity, but Conan names it only in the next bubble: 〜好奇心(こうきしん)がな. Putting the subject after the verb adds force, and な adds emphasis.
4わくわくしちまうんだよ
  • しちまう is a rough contraction of してしまう. Here it means Conan can’t help getting excited. んだよ presents this as his explanation for the grin Agasa noticed.

Vocabulary

(Excited)

わくわく describes a heart racing with excitement or anticipation.

(To do)

する is to do or perform something. It also turns many nouns into verbs, as in 勉強する.

(To understand)

わかる is to understand something, or for something to become known or clear. It is also written 分(わ)かる.

(Extent)

ほど is the degree or extent of something: “about” or “as much as”. 〜ば〜ほど means “the more…, the more…”.

(To throb)

うずく is to throb or ache, as a wound does. It also describes a feeling, such as curiosity or an old regret, that keeps stirring inside you. It is also written 疼(うず)く.

(I)

オレ is a katakana spelling of おれ, a casual, masculine word for “I”. It is also written 俺(おれ).

(Inside)

中(なか) is the inside of something, or the middle of a situation.

(To hold back)

おさえる is to hold something down or keep it in check. With feelings like anger, laughter, or curiosity, it means to restrain them. It is also written 抑(おさ)える.

See Also

名探偵コナン © its respective creators. It is used here for educational commentary.