there's no way to; cannot possibly

ようがない attaches to a verb's masu-stem to mean there is no method or means to do something. It states that, however one tries, the action is impossible because no way exists. It is stronger than the simple potential negative.

Examples

• 連絡先れんらくさきが分わからないので、知しらせようがない。

  Renrakusaki ga wakaranai node, shiraseyou ga nai.

  I don't know their contact info, so there's no way to tell them.

• 壊こわれすぎて、直なおしようがない。

  Kowaresugite, naoshiyou ga nai.

  It's too broken; there's no way to fix it.

Vocabulary in these examples

• 連絡先 contact information
• 分かる to understand
• 壊れる to break, to be broken

Related patterns · Ability and inevitability

• 〜得る can; be possible to
• 〜かねる cannot; be unable to bring oneself to
• 〜かねない might (something bad); be capable of
• 〜がたい hard to; difficult to
• 〜ざるを得ない have no choice but to; cannot help but