〜てしょうがない・〜てしかたがない: 'Can't Help' / 'Extremely'
The feeling it puts front and centre
〜てしょうがない / 〜てしかたがない mark a feeling or sensation as so strong you can't control it. Literally しかたがない / しょうがない means "there's no way (to deal with it)," so the whole phrase says the emotion is beyond what you can manage — unbearably, terribly, I can't help feeling…. It pairs naturally with emotions and bodily sensations: wanting, missing, worrying, being bored, being hot, being sleepy, hurting.
国の家族に会いたくてしょうがない。
くにの かぞくに あいたくて しょうがない。
I miss my family back home so much I can't stand it.
会いたい (want to meet) → 会いたくて + しょうがない.
ヤッタンは試験の結果が気になってしかたがない。
ヤッタンは しけんの けっかが きに なって しかたがない。
Yattan can't stop worrying about the exam results.
気になる → 気になって + しかたがない.
今日は暑くてしかたがないね。
きょうは あつくて しかたがないね。
It's unbearably hot today, isn't it.
What it attaches to
The base is always a て-form: take the て-form of a verb or adjective and add しょうがない or しかたがない. Note that な-adjectives and nouns of feeling use で, which is their て-form.
| Word type | て-form | + しょうがない/しかたがない |
|---|---|---|
| い-adjective (暑い) | 暑くて | 暑くてしょうがない (unbearably hot) |
| 〜たい (会いたい) | 会いたくて | 会いたくてしかたがない (dying to meet) |
| Verb (気になる) | 気になって | 気になってしょうがない (can't stop minding it) |
| な-adjective (退屈な) | 退屈で | 退屈でしかたがない (bored out of my mind) |
| Noun-feeling (心配) | 心配で | 心配でしょうがない (worried sick) |
For the past, conjugate the ない ending: 暑くてしょうがなかった ("it was unbearably hot"). The polite form just adds です: 眠くてしかたがないです.
How strong it sounds — and its neighbours
Register is what really separates the family. しょうがない is casual and spoken; しかたがない is slightly more formal and fine in writing — same meaning, so match it to the situation rather than treating one as "correct."
A close cousin is 〜てたまらない, which is very similar and often interchangeable — it can feel a touch stronger or more physical: 暑くてたまらない ("unbearably hot"). Another relative is 〜ずにはいられない ("can't help doing"), but that one is about an irresistible impulse to act (笑わずにはいられない = "I can't help laughing"), not a feeling that overwhelms you. Use 〜てしょうがない for the state of feeling, 〜ずにはいられない for the action you can't resist.
In use
授業が退屈でしょうがなかった。
じゅぎょうが たいくつで しょうがなかった。
The class was so boring I couldn't stand it.
退屈 is a な-adjective, so it takes で.
弟は新しいゲームがやりたくてしかたがないらしい。
おとうとは あたらしい ゲームが やりたくて しかたがない らしい。
My little brother apparently can't wait to play the new game.
With らしい, you can describe someone else's strong feeling.
昼ご飯を食べすぎて、眠くてしょうがない。
ひるごはんを たべすぎて、ねむくて しょうがない。
I ate too much lunch and now I'm unbearably sleepy.
モチに会えなくて、寂しくてしかたがない。
モチに あえなくて、さびしくて しかたがない。
I can't see Mochi, and I'm just unbearably lonely.
The trap to watch
The single mistake that trips learners up is the connector: verbs and い-adjectives take 〜て/〜くて, but な-adjectives and nouns of feeling take で — 退屈でしょうがない, never 退屈てしょうがない. A few smaller cautions ride alongside it:
- Keep it to feelings. The pattern is for uncontrollable emotions and sensations, not plain activities. Say お金が欲しくてしょうがない ("I want money so badly"), but for "I read a lot," just use たくさん読む — there's no overwhelming feeling to express.
- Conjugate the final ない, not the middle. For past tense it's 心配でしょうがなかった, not 心配でしたしょうがない.
The short version
- て-form (verb or adjective) + しょうがない / しかたがない = unbearably / can't help feeling X.
- な-adjectives and noun-feelings take で (退屈でしょうがない).
- しょうがない = casual; しかたがない = a bit more formal. Same meaning.
- Best with emotions and sensations, not neutral actions.
- Near-synonyms: 〜てたまらない (feeling) and 〜ずにはいられない (can't resist acting).
Practice it
Pick the natural 〜てしょうがない / 〜てしかたがない form for each feeling.
＿＿＿に入れるのに最もよいものを選びなさい。
今日は暑く＿＿＿ね。
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between しょうがない and しかたがない?
Nothing in meaning — both mean 'can't help / unbearably.' しょうがない is more casual and spoken; しかたがない is slightly more formal and common in writing. Use whichever fits the situation.
How is 〜てしょうがない different from 〜てたまらない?
They're very close and often interchangeable for strong feelings. 〜てたまらない can feel a touch stronger or more physical (暑くてたまらない), while 〜てしょうがない is the everyday go-to. Both attach to the て-form.
Can I use it with any verb?
It works best with verbs and adjectives of feeling or sensation — wanting, worrying, hurting, being sleepy, being bored. For neutral actions it sounds unnatural; there has to be an uncontrollable feeling to express.
How do I attach it to a な-adjective?
Use the で form: 退屈でしょうがない ('bored out of my mind'), 心配でしかたがない ('worried sick'). Nouns of feeling work the same way.
Where 〜てしょうがない・〜てしかたがない fits
Shaky on this? Get these solid first
- 〜ことができる · N5 — 〜ことができる expresses ability: dictionary-form verb + ことができる ('can do'). Learn the verb pattern, the noun + ができる pattern, the polite and negative forms, and how it compares to the potential form.
- Past Tense · N5 — The plain past た-form means 'did.' It follows the same sound changes as the て-form (just て→た, で→だ): 食べた, 行った, 飲んだ. Learn it by verb group.
- 〜てください · N5 — 〜てください is the standard way to politely ask someone to do something ('please do…'). Learn the formation, the negative 〜ないでください, softer variations, and see clear examples.
Don't confuse it with
- 〜ざるを得ない · N3 — 〜ざるを得ない means 'have no choice but to' — circumstances force an action you'd rather avoid. Learn the formation, the irregular せざるを得ない, and how it differs from 〜なければならない.
- あまりに · N3 — あまりに(も) marks an extreme degree that triggers a result: あまりに疲れて寝てしまった. Learn the forms, the あまりの+noun+に pattern, and how it differs from あまり〜ない.
More N3 grammar to explore
Keep going with related patterns at the same level:
- 〜てたまらない — 〜てたまらない attaches to the て-form of an adjective or verb to mean unbearably / so ... that I can't stand it — an overwhelming emotion or physical sensation.
- 〜てはいられない — 〜てはいられない attaches to the て-form to say you can't afford to stay in a state or keep doing something — there's no time or leisure for it. 泣いてはいられない = 'I can't afford to keep crying.'
- 〜とともに — 〜とともに (と共に) means 'together with,' 'at the same time as a change,' or 'both A and B.' Learn the three senses, the noun/verb formation, and its formal register.
- 〜とは限らない — 〜とは限らない means 'not necessarily' — it partially negates a general assumption. Learn the formation, the 必ずしも pairing, noun/な-adjective attachment, and how it differs from わけではない.
- 〜といっても — 〜といっても means 'although I say X, (actually it's less than you'd think).' Learn how it downscales the impression the first clause gives, its formation, and common mistakes.
- 〜というのは — 〜というのは defines a term ('X means…') or introduces an explanation/reason (often with 〜からだ). Learn both senses, the casual って variant, and how it differs from という and ということ.