JLPTMainichi JLPT
English
JLPT N3 · Guessing & hearsay

わけがない (wake ga nai)

~わけがない — “there’s no way ~”

In short · Strongly says that something cannot be true, based on the speaker’s judgment: “there’s no way ~.” It attaches to the plain form of a verb or adjective (な-adj + な, noun + の). It is emotional and used mostly in speech.
A free study page from Mainichi JLPT — the app has 429+ grammar points, plus vocabulary and mock exams.See the app

Pattern

  • 普通形+わけがない it can’t be that ~
  • 普通形+わけはない same meaning, slightly softer (が → は)

Strong disbelief

The speaker is sure that something cannot be so, using common sense or the situation as the basis. こんな簡単な問題、間違えるわけがない: it is far too easy to get wrong.

Connection

Verbs and い-adjectives use the plain form (負けるわけがない, 高いわけがない). な-adjectives take な (静かなわけがない), nouns take の (嘘のわけがない). The past can also be used: 負けたわけがない.

Compared with ~はずがない

The two are almost identical. ~わけがない is more emotional and used in speech; ~はずがない sounds a bit more logical. Not the same as ~わけではない (“not necessarily”).

Examples

  • こんな簡単(かんたん)な問題(もんだい)、間違(まちが)えるわけがない。

    Konna kantan na mondai, machigaeru wake ga nai.

    There’s no way I’d get such an easy problem wrong.

  • あんなに練習(れんしゅう)した人(ひと)が、負(ま)けるわけがない。

    Annani renshuu shita hito ga, makeru wake ga nai.

    There’s no way someone who practiced that hard would lose.

  • 子(こ)どもにこの重(おも)い荷物(にもつ)が持(も)てるわけがない。

    Kodomo ni kono omoi nimotsu ga moteru wake ga nai.

    There’s no way a child could carry this heavy luggage.

Common mistakes

  • It is a strong claim, so it can sound rude when aimed at a person. Be careful in polite conversation.
  • It means “impossible”, not “don’t want to”. For “can’t afford to”, use ~わけにはいかない.

More grammar points

Practice this in the app

Mainichi JLPT turns these grammar points into daily quizzes and a readiness gauge — 100% free, no sign-up.

See the app