JapaneseJLPT
JLPT N3 grammar · Chapter 21

～ようがない

There is no possible way to do it

You’ll be able to say that an action is impossible because no workable method exists.

Illustration of the scene described by We're deep in the mountains with no signal, so there's no way to look it up.
Read it first

山やまの奥おくで電波でんぱが届とどかないので、調しらべようがありません。

yama no oku de denpa ga todokanai node, shirabeyou ga arimasen.

What do you think this sentence means?

We're deep in the mountains with no signal, so there's no way to look it up.

Why it means that

Say there is no possible method or means

～ようがない attaches to the verb stem to express that even if one wants to do something, absolutely no method or means exists ("no way to...", "impossible to...").

Examples

住所じゅうしょが分わからないから、手紙てがみを送おくりようがない。

juusho ga wakaranai kara, tegami o okuriyou ga nai.

I don't know the address, so there's no way to send the letter.

店みせがもう閉しまっているから、買かいようがない。

mise ga mou shimatte iru kara, kaiyou ga nai.

The shop is already closed, so there's no way to buy it.

How it is built

Attach ようがない to the verb stem

Attach ようがない directly to the verb stem (masu-stem). For する nouns, use <slot>noun</slot> + のしようがない or <slot>noun stem</slot> + しようがない.

verb (masu-stem)+ようがない／noun+ のしようがない
Example

これほど破損はそんがひどいと、直なおしようがない。

kore hodo hason ga hidoi to, naoshiyou ga nai.

When the damage is this severe, there's simply no way to fix it.

Compare

potential negative vs ～ようがない

A potential negative (直せない) just says you can’t do it, perhaps because you lack the skill. ～ようがない says there is no method at all, so nobody could do it.

  • potential negative, can't

    この時計とけいは、私わたしには直なおせない。

    kono tokei wa, watashi ni wa naosenai.

    I can't fix this watch.

    I can’t; someone else might.

  • ～ようがない, there is no way to

    この時計とけいは、もう直なおしようがない。

    kono tokei wa, mou naoshiyou ga nai.

    There's no way anyone can fix this watch anymore.

    No method exists at all.

Examples

ぶつかった車くるまはすぐに行いってしまって、番号ばんごうも見みていないので、探さがしようがない。

butsukatta kuruma wa sugu ni itte shimatte, bangou mo mite inai node, sagashi you ga nai.

The car that hit us drove off right away, and I didn’t even see its number, so there is no way to find it.

店みせの名前なまえも場所ばしょも覚おぼえていないので、もう一度いちど行いきたくても行いきようがない。

mise no namae mo basho mo oboete inai node, mou ichido ikitakute mo iki you ga nai.

I don’t remember the shop’s name or where it is, so even though I want to go again, there’s no way I can.

メモの字じが雨あめでにじんでしまって、何なにが書かいてあったのか読よみようがない。

memo no ji ga ame de nijinde shimatte, nani ga kaite atta no ka yomi you ga nai.

The writing on the note got smudged by the rain, so there is no way to read what was written.

7 more examples in the grammar path — free for a limited time.