What does “shikata ga nai” mean in Japanese?
Native speakers say “shikata ga nai” to mean ‘it can’t be helped’ in Japanese. Probably, many Japanese learners know this phrase as it is quite often used in Japanese daily conversations. In this blog post, however, I will explain it in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I will explain how to use it through an example sentence. My explanations would help Japanese learners to understand “shikata ga nai” more clearly. Then, let’s get started!
Contents
Definition and meaning of “shikata ga nai”
Let me start with the definition and meaning of “shikata ga nai”
- shikata ga nai – 仕方がない (しかたがない) : a phrase meaning ‘it can’t be helped’ in Japanese.
Japanese native speakers use this phrase when something happens but they do not have any control of it. They literally use the Japanese version of “it can’t be helped”. So, Japanese learners, especially those who are familiar with English, can easily understand this phrase and its usage, I think.
The definition and meaning are very simple and clear. To understand this phrase more clearly, however, let me explain its grammatical components in detail, one by one.
Breakdown of the phrase
Grammatically, “shikata ga nai” consists of the following three components:
- shikata – 仕方 (しかた) : a noun referring a way of doing something.
- ga – が : a case particle used to make the subject word or the object word in a sentence. In this case, this particle is used after “shikata” to make the subject in the phrase.
- nai – ない : an i-adjective used to deny the existence of things. In this case, this i-adjective is used to deny the existence of the way of doing something.
These three components tell us that “shikata ga nai” literally means ‘there is no way to do something’ in Japanese. This literal interpretation is very close to the actual meaning, I think.
When we meet new Japanese phrases, we should check their grammatical components in detail to understand their meanings clearly and deeply. In many cases, components tell us a lot about the meanings of the phrases they form. Actually, here, we could get the better understanding of “shikata ga nai” through the detailed check above. Then, let me explain how to use it through the example sentence below.
Example: how to say “it can’t be helped” in Japanese
「kore wa shikata ga nai yo」 to kanojo ga it ta – 「これは仕方がないよ」と彼女が言った (「これはしかたがないよ」とかのじょがいった)
“It can’t be helped,” she said.
Below are the new words used in the example sentence.
- kore – これ : a demonstrative pronoun referring to a thing close to the speaker. In the example, this works to mean ‘this’ in Japanese.
- wa – は : a binding particle working as a case marker or topic marker. In the example, this works after “kore” to make the subject in the clause.
- yo – よ : a sentence-ending particle used to state the fact or idea in a soft way. As the definition suggests, this is used at the end of the clause to state kanojo’s idea softly.
- to – と : a case particle working as a quote marker. In the example, this works after the clause to indicate what kanojo said.
- kanojo – 彼女 (かのじょ) : a pronoun meaning ‘she’ in Japanese.
- it – 言っ (いっ) : one conjugation of the verb, “iu”, which means ‘to say’, ‘to tell’, or such in Japanese. In the example, it has been conjugated for the better connection with its following word.
- ta – た : an auxiliary verb used after a verb, adjective, or auxiliary verb to make its past tense form. Probably, this is well known as a part of Japanese ta form. In the example, this is used after “it” to make its past tense form, “it ta”.
This is a typical usage of “shikata ga nai”. In this example, it works as a part of the clause to say “it can’t be helped” in Japanese. Again, but Japanese native speakers use this phrase when something happens but they do not have any control of it. So, its usage is very similar to that of “it can’t be helped” in English.
Summary
In this blog post, I’ve explained the definition and meaning of “shikata ga nai” in detail based on its grammatical components. And also, I’ve explained how to use it through the example sentence. Let me summarize them as follows.
- shikata ga nai – 仕方がない (しかたがない) : a phrase meaning ‘it can’t be helped’ in Japanese. The three grammatical components in this phrase literally mean ‘there is no way to do something’ in Japanese. So, Japanese native speakers use this phrase when something happens but they do not have any control of it.
Hope my explanations are understandable and helpful for Japanese learners.
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