〜わけがない: 'There's No Way' / 'Impossible'
What it means
〜わけがない declares that something cannot possibly be true. Literally わけ means "reason/logic," so わけがない is "there's no reason (for it to be so)" — i.e., logic leaves zero room for it. Use it when you're confident, often a bit emphatic or emotional:
そんなに高いものが買えるわけがない。
そんなに たかい ものが かえる わけが ない。
There's no way I can afford something that expensive.
ヤッタンが宿題を忘れるわけがない。
ヤッタンが しゅくだいを わすれる わけが ない。
There's no way Yattan would forget his homework.
Strong confidence based on what you know about him.
毎日サボっていて、試験が簡単なわけがないよ。
まいにち サボっていて、しけんが かんたんな わけが ない よ。
Slacking off every day, there's no way the exam will be easy.
な-adjective takes な before わけがない.
It's a confident conclusion, not a polite guess. Compare はっきり言える ("I can say for sure") rather than たぶん ("probably").
How to form it
Attach 〜わけがない to the plain form of the predicate. Watch the join for な-adjectives and nouns:
| Word type | Attachment | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb (plain) | verb + わけがない | 来る → 来るわけがない |
| い-adjective | adj + わけがない | 安い → 安いわけがない |
| な-adjective | adj + な + わけがない | 暇 → 暇なわけがない |
| Noun | noun + である/な + わけがない | 嘘 → 嘘であるわけがない / 嘘なわけがない |
| Negative | plain neg + わけがない | 知らない → 知らないわけがない |
Registers of the same pattern:
- わけがない — neutral, standard.
- わけはない — slightly more formal/written; は adds a touch of contrast ("certainly not that").
- わけない — casual speech, the が dropped: そんなの できるわけないじゃん。
More examples
先生がそんな失礼なことを言うわけがありません。
せんせいが そんな しつれいな ことを いう わけが ありません。
There's no way the teacher would say something that rude.
ありません = polite form of ない.
モチがこの本を読んでいないわけがない。いつも持ち歩いているもの。
モチが この ほんを よんでいない わけが ない。いつも もちあるいている もの。
There's no way Mochi hasn't read this book — he carries it around all the time.
Negative predicate (読んでいない) + わけがない = 'no way he hasn't.'
弟が一人でここまで来られるわけがないだろう。
おとうとが ひとりで ここまで こられる わけが ない だろう。
There's no way my little brother could get all the way here by himself.
わけ family — keep them apart
This is the heart of N3 わけ confusion. All three look alike; the meanings are very different:
| Pattern | Meaning | Nuance |
|---|---|---|
| 〜わけがない | "there's no way" / impossible | Total denial — logic rules it out |
| 〜わけではない | "it's not necessarily that…" | Partial denial — softens, not 100% |
| 〜わけにはいかない | "I can't (afford to) do it" | Can't for social/moral reasons |
Quick contrast:
- 好きなわけがない = "There's no way I like it." (I definitely don't.)
- 好きなわけではない = "It's not that I particularly like it." (I might, a little.)
- 行かないわけにはいかない = "I can't not go." (Obligation, nothing to do with possibility.)
わけがない vs はずがない
Both deny strongly, and they often overlap. The shade of difference:
- はずがない (see はず) — denial from expectation/reasoning: based on what should be, it can't be so. 彼が来ないはずがない ("he can't possibly not come — he said he would").
- わけがない — denial from logic/common sense: there's simply no reason it could be true. Often feels a touch more emphatic or emotional.
In everyday speech they're frequently interchangeable; when in doubt, both are natural for "there's no way."
Common mistakes
- Mixing up わけがない and わけではない. わけがない = total impossibility ("no way"); わけではない = partial ("not necessarily"). 高いわけがない ("no way it's expensive") ≠ 高いわけではない ("it's not that expensive").
- Forgetting な with な-adjectives and nouns. Say 静かなわけがない and 嘘である/なわけがない — never 静かわけがない.
- Treating it as a soft guess. わけがない is confident, not tentative. For "probably not," use 〜ないだろう or 〜ないと思う instead.
- Reaching for it when you mean obligation. "I can't skip it" is 〜わけにはいかない, not 〜わけがない.
Quick recap
- 〜わけがない = "there's no way" / "impossible" — confident logical denial.
- Attach to plain forms; な-adj + な, noun + である/な.
- Registers: わけがない (neutral), わけはない (formal), わけない (casual).
- わけがない (total) ≠ わけではない (partial) ≠ わけにはいかない (can't afford to).
- Close cousin: はずがない (denial from expectation).
Your turn
Choose わけがない, わけではない, or わけにはいかない to fit each sentence.
Start the 5-question drill →Take the full N3 〜わけがない drill →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between わけがない and わけではない?
わけがない is a total denial — 'there's no way / it's impossible': できるわけがない ('no way I can do it'). わけではない is a partial denial — 'it's not necessarily that…': できないわけではない ('it's not that I can't do it'). One rules it out completely; the other just softens.
Is わけない rude or wrong?
It's just casual. Dropping the が (わけない) is normal in everyday speech: そんなの分かるわけないよ. In writing or formal speech, use わけがない or わけはない.
How does わけがない differ from はずがない?
Both deny strongly. はずがない denies based on expectation ('it shouldn't be, so it can't be'); わけがない denies based on logic/common sense ('there's no reason it could be'). In casual conversation they often overlap.
How do I attach わけがない to a noun or な-adjective?
Use な or である as the link: 嘘なわけがない / 嘘であるわけがない ('there's no way it's a lie'), 暇なわけがない ('no way I'm free'). Plain verbs and い-adjectives attach directly: 来るわけがない, 安いわけがない.