日本語道場

Nihongo Dojo — N3 → N2

Grammar

N3

~てもさしつかえない

~te mo sashitsukae nai

it's fine even if

When to use it

Use ~てもさしつかえない to state that some action or condition causes no problem or inconvenience — a formal, softened equivalent of ~てもいい/~ても問題ない. It appears in business email, contracts, and internal reports, especially when granting permission or confirming that a deviation is acceptable. Because 差し支える literally means "to hinder," the phrase frames approval as "nothing gets in the way," which sounds more deferential and less like personal authorization than ~ても構いません.

Formation

  • Verb: て-form + 差し支えない → 送っても差し支えない
  • i-adjective: drop 〜い + くても → 遅くても差し支えない
  • na-adjective: stem + でも → 簡単でも差し支えない
  • Noun: noun + でも → コピーでも差し支えない
  • Negative condition: 〜なくても差し支えない ("it's fine even if you don't…")
  • Polite scale: 差し支えありません → 差し支えございません (most formal); question form 差し支えないでしょうか asks permission
  • Related set phrase: 差し支えなければ/差し支えのない範囲で ("if you don't mind/to the extent permissible")

Examples

  • Would it be all right if I hand out the materials on the day itself?

  • There is no problem with sending a copy of the contract by email.

  • It need not be the person themselves; a representative is perfectly fine.

  • I understand that an oral report on this matter is acceptable.

  • We received a reply saying a delay of a few days in delivery poses no problem.