〜っこない: This means 'no way' or 'impossible'. You use it when you strongly believe something cannot happen.

Dictionary

〜っこない

This means 'no way' or 'impossible'. You use it when you strongly believe something cannot happen.

N1 KMT6CasualAuxiliary ConstructionSpoken OnlyStrong Negation Or ImpossibilityGrammar

Verb [stem] + っこないPrimary

This means 'no way' or 'impossible'. You use it when you strongly believe something cannot happen.

一日でこの量の仕事を終わらせるなんて、できっこないよ。

There's no way I can finish this amount of work in one day.

CasualNon PastNegativeSentence EndingEmphaticWork & Career

彼が犯人だなんて、ありえっこないと思っていたが、証拠が出てきてしまった。

I thought there was no way he could be the culprit, but the evidence came out.

NeutralPastAffirmativeMid SentenceDeclarativePolitics & Law

あんなに練習したんだから、負けっこない！

We practiced so much, there's no way we'll lose!

CasualNon PastNegativeSentence EndingEmphaticSports & Martial Arts Emotions & Psychology

子供にこんな辛いカレーが食べられっこないでしょう。

There's no way a child could eat curry this spicy, right?

CasualNon PastNegativeSentence EndingConjecturalFood & Dining Family & Relationships

宝くじなんて当たりっこないとは、誰も言い切れないのが面白いところだ。

The interesting thing is that nobody can definitively say that there's absolutely no chance of winning the lottery.

NeutralNon PastNegativeMid SentenceDeclarativeDaily Life Emotions & Psychology

This grammar shows you really, really think something cannot happen. It is like saying 'no way' very strongly. It is not just saying 'no'. It shows how sure you are.

This is like saying 'no way' in English. Other phrases also mean 'no way'. But this one is very casual. It shows your strong feeling. The other phrases are more formal. They use facts or logic.

Don't use this when you write formal letters or emails. It is only for verbs. It does not work with adjectives or nouns.

Less formal alternatives(6)

〜わけがない

This means 'there is no way that...' or 'it's impossible that...'. You use it when you are sure something cannot be true.

〜はずがない

This means you are sure something is not true. You have a good reason to believe it is impossible.

〜どころではない

This means you cannot do something. It is not the right time or place. Something else is more important right now.

〜ようがない

You cannot do something. There is no way to do it. You have no method or chance.

〜わけにはいかない

You cannot do something. This is because of rules or what people expect. You might want to do it, but you just can't.

〜どころか

Far from A, on the contrary B. Used to strongly deny the first statement (A) and present a contrasting reality (B) that is often more extreme or the opposite of what was expected.

Verb stem form

This is a special form of a verb. You use it to join verbs together. You can also use it to make a noun from a verb.

〜はずがない

This means you are sure something is not true. You have a good reason to believe it is impossible.

〜わけがない

This means 'there is no way that...' or 'it's impossible that...'. You use it when you are sure something cannot be true.

〜れる / 〜られる (potential form)

This grammar shows you can do something. It means 'can' or 'to be able to'.

Track your mastery

Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.

Dictionary

〜っこない

This means 'no way' or 'impossible'. You use it when you strongly believe something cannot happen.

N1 KMT6CasualAuxiliary ConstructionSpoken OnlyStrong Negation Or ImpossibilityGrammar

Verb [stem] + っこないPrimary

This means 'no way' or 'impossible'. You use it when you strongly believe something cannot happen.

一日でこの量の仕事を終わらせるなんて、できっこないよ。

There's no way I can finish this amount of work in one day.

CasualNon PastNegativeSentence EndingEmphaticWork & Career

彼が犯人だなんて、ありえっこないと思っていたが、証拠が出てきてしまった。

I thought there was no way he could be the culprit, but the evidence came out.

NeutralPastAffirmativeMid SentenceDeclarativePolitics & Law

あんなに練習したんだから、負けっこない！

We practiced so much, there's no way we'll lose!

CasualNon PastNegativeSentence EndingEmphaticSports & Martial Arts Emotions & Psychology

子供にこんな辛いカレーが食べられっこないでしょう。

There's no way a child could eat curry this spicy, right?

CasualNon PastNegativeSentence EndingConjecturalFood & Dining Family & Relationships

宝くじなんて当たりっこないとは、誰も言い切れないのが面白いところだ。

The interesting thing is that nobody can definitively say that there's absolutely no chance of winning the lottery.

NeutralNon PastNegativeMid SentenceDeclarativeDaily Life Emotions & Psychology

This grammar shows you really, really think something cannot happen. It is like saying 'no way' very strongly. It is not just saying 'no'. It shows how sure you are.

This is like saying 'no way' in English. Other phrases also mean 'no way'. But this one is very casual. It shows your strong feeling. The other phrases are more formal. They use facts or logic.

Don't use this when you write formal letters or emails. It is only for verbs. It does not work with adjectives or nouns.

Less formal alternatives(6)

〜わけがない

This means 'there is no way that...' or 'it's impossible that...'. You use it when you are sure something cannot be true.

〜はずがない

This means you are sure something is not true. You have a good reason to believe it is impossible.

〜どころではない

This means you cannot do something. It is not the right time or place. Something else is more important right now.

〜ようがない

You cannot do something. There is no way to do it. You have no method or chance.

〜わけにはいかない

You cannot do something. This is because of rules or what people expect. You might want to do it, but you just can't.

〜どころか

Far from A, on the contrary B. Used to strongly deny the first statement (A) and present a contrasting reality (B) that is often more extreme or the opposite of what was expected.

Verb stem form

This is a special form of a verb. You use it to join verbs together. You can also use it to make a noun from a verb.

〜はずがない

This means you are sure something is not true. You have a good reason to believe it is impossible.

〜わけがない

This means 'there is no way that...' or 'it's impossible that...'. You use it when you are sure something cannot be true.

〜れる / 〜られる (potential form)

This grammar shows you can do something. It means 'can' or 'to be able to'.

Track your mastery

Kumi's KMT system tracks your mastery across kanji, vocabulary, grammar, and reading. Create a free account to use it on 220,000+ concepts.

〜っこない

Patterns1

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Restrictions1

Compare with6

Less formal alternatives(6)

Prerequisites4

Track your mastery

〜っこない

Patterns1

Meaning

Examples5

Nuance1

Contrasts1

Restrictions1

Compare with6

Less formal alternatives(6)

Prerequisites4

Track your mastery