There's no way: 〜わけがない
plain form (な-adj + な / Noun + の) + わけがない / わけない
Plain form + わけがない (spoken: わけない): “there's no way”, a personal and often emotional certainty. More objective: はずがない.
In short
〜わけがない asserts forcefully that something is impossible: “there's no reason why…”, “there's no way that…”. It's a personal conviction, often emotionally charged. In speech, が drops: 〜わけない.
- あの人がうそをつくわけがない。あのひとがうそをつくわけがない。There's no way that person would lie.
- こんなに安いダイヤが本物のわけがない。こんなにやすいだいやがほんもののわけがない。A diamond this cheap can't possibly be real.
- 一日で全部読めるわけないよ。いちにちでぜんぶよめるわけないよ。There's no way you can read it all in a day!
The basics
わけ is the reason. わけがない: “there's no reason”. In other words, the thing is impossible, unthinkable. The speaker isn't making a cool calculation: they're expressing certainty, sometimes indignation — English “no way”, “can't possibly”.
There's no way that person would lie.
- noun
- verb
- grammatical form
- そんなにいい話があるわけがない。そんなにいいはなしがあるわけがない。A deal that good can't possibly exist.
- あんなにがんばったんだから、負けるわけがない。あんなにがんばったんだから、まけるわけがない。We've worked so hard, there's no way we can lose.
How to form it
Like any noun, わけ follows a clause in the plain form. For a noun, add の (or な in speech); for a な-adjective, keep な.
| Word | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | plain form + わけがない | 知っているわけがない |
| い-adjective | plain form + わけがない | おいしいわけがない |
| な-adjective | な + わけがない | 簡単なわけがない |
| Noun | の + わけがない | 本物のわけがない |
| Polite | 〜わけがありません | できるわけがありません |
| Spoken | 〜わけない | できるわけないよ |
- 子どもにこの問題がわかるわけがありません。こどもにこのもんだいがわかるわけがありません。There's absolutely no way a child could understand this problem.
わけがない, わけではない, はずがない
わけではない gently corrects an idea (“it's not that…”). わけがない rejects a possibility (“no way”). はずがない also says something is impossible, but based on facts or objective logic; わけがない is more subjective and more emotional.
| Form | Nuance | Example |
|---|---|---|
| わけではない | it's not that (nuance) | 嫌いなわけではない |
| わけがない | no way, in my view (conviction) | あの人がうそをつくわけがない |
| はずがない | impossible, given the facts (logic) | 鍵をかけたから、開くはずがない |
- あの子が犯人のわけがない！あのこがはんにんのわけがない！That kid can't possibly be the culprit!
Careful: わけない on its own = “easy”
Used on its own, like an adjective, わけない means “it's easy, it's nothing”: そんなのわけないよ, “that's a piece of cake”. After a clause (読めるわけない), it keeps the meaning “no way”. The context always decides.
- これくらいの仕事、わけないよ。これくらいのしごと、わけないよ。A job like that is easy.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up わけがない (“no way”) and わけではない (“it's not that”): the two meanings are almost opposite.
- Using it with a superior in a sharp tone: わけがない can sound like a blunt rejection. At work, go for はずがありません or a softer tone.
- Forgetting の after a noun: 本物のわけがない, not 本物わけがない.
7 exercises on this point
Particles to choose, sentences to put back in order, translations: marked straight away, then reviewed at the right time. This JLPT N3 point is on the Nara Line (Studies and knowledge) of the Kyoto lines.