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JLPT N3Expressions

～ようがない／～ようもない— No Way To Do It

Attaches to a verb ます-stem to say 'there is no way / no means to do it' — the action is impossible not because of ability but because no method exists or the situation makes it hopeless. ～ようもない is an emphatic variant ('not even a way to…').

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Pro lessonUNIT 98 · EXPRESSIONS

Structure · 形

[Verb ます-stem] + ようがない / ようもない (e.g. 言い→言いようがない, し→しようがない)

Examples · 例文

  • 連絡先が分からないので、知らせようがない。

    Renrakusaki ga wakaranai node, shirase you ga nai.

    I don't know the contact info, so there's no way to let them know.

    知らせ (stem) + ようがない = no means available to inform

  • 壊れ方がひどくて、直しようがない。

    Kowarekata ga hidokute, naoshi you ga nai.

    It's so badly broken there's no way to fix it.

    直し (stem) + ようがない = repair is impossible, no method works

  • 彼の親切には感謝の言葉もないほどで、お礼の言いようもない。

    Kare no shinsetsu ni wa kansha no kotoba mo nai hodo de, orei no ii you mo nai.

    His kindness leaves me unable to even find words to thank him.

    言い (stem) + ようもない = the emphatic 'not even a way to say'

Usage notes · 注意

  • Means 'no method/means exists', distinct from ability (られない).
  • する→しようがない, 来る→来ようがない.
  • ようもない is stronger/more emphatic than ようがない.
  • Common set phrase: どうしようもない (nothing can be done).

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～ようがない／～ようもない is tested against.

vsられない (potential)

ようがない means no method/means exists to do it at all; the potential negative ～られない means the person is unable due to skill/circumstance.

vsわけにはいかない

ようがない = physically/practically no way to do it; ～わけにはいかない = one cannot do it for social/moral reasons.

More expressions

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