Grammar Info

N4 Lesson 8: 13/18

筈(はず)がないHardly possible, Cannot be, Highly unlikely, Improbable

Structure

Verb + はず + が + ない
[い]Adjective + はず + が + ない
[な]Adjective + な + はず + が + ない
Noun + の + はず + が + ない

Details

  • Standard

About はずがない

Like はず, coming from the kanji 筈(はず), which suggests that something is 'bound' to be true, はずがない suggests that something is 'not bound' to be true. This expression is usually translated as 'hardly possible', 'improbable', or 'unlikely', but in reality, it is a bit weaker than these, and translates more literally to '(A) is not the only possibility'.

As はずがない (a combination of 筈(はず), the case-marking particle が, and the い-Adjective ない) is a phrase that starts with a noun, it may be used after any word that could usually connect with a noun.

Caution

There is a big difference in nuance between ないはずだ 'bound not to', and はずがない 'not bound to'. はずがない strongly negates the (A) statement, and expresses the speaker's opinion that it is almost definitely not true. On the other hand, ないはず simply suggests that (A) being almost 100% true is not the case.


Antonyms



Vocab Coverage

All Bunpro Vocab that appears on this item.

Examples

--:--

  • これだけの筈(はず)がない。

    It is highly unlikely that it is just this.

  • それはあなたのカバンの筈(はず)がない。

    It is highly unlikely that that is your bag.

  • 夏(なつ)に雪(ゆき)が降(ふ)る筈(はず)がない。

    It is hardly possible for it to snow in the summer.

  • あのビルは古(ふる)すぎなので、病院(びょういん)の筈(はず)がない。

    Because that building is so old, it is hardly possible that it is a hospital.

  • こんな量(りょう)を一気(いっき)に食(た)べられる筈(はず)がないよ。

    It is hardly possible to eat this amount of food at once.

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

はずがない – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (9 in total)

  • Nacall24

    Nacall24

    In this article is says ないはずだ is stronger that はずがない, but in A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar, it says the opposite. Which is stronger?

  • Eodis

    Eodis

    It’s very confusing to me as well and I already reported the grammar point and its french translation but when I look at other resources it says はずがない is stronger. For instance here : 92はずがない [日本語参照文法]

    「~ないはずだ」:できごとが起きない確信
    「~はずがない」:できごとが起きる可能性はない

    ChatGPT also says ~はずがない is stronger, and apparently A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar as well.

  • The111

    The111

    I recently did a deep dive into the difference between Xがない and Xではない. As I understand it, the former declares that X does not exist (a guarantee of absence), while the latter declares that X’s existence is not known (an absence of a guarantee). It’s kind of like the difference between gnostic atheism and agnostic atheism.

    For this grammar point, the hints given in the review questions say that it’s looking for an expression that shows that (A) is not bound to be the case. I believe this wording calls for はずではない. But that answer is soft rejected, and only がない is accepted. I think that:

    1. (A)はずがない means A is bound not to be true (i.e. A is impossible)
    2. (A)はずではない means A is not bound to be true (i.e. A is not necessarily possible… often with the vibe that A is unlikely or improbable)

    The hint given (and the wording in lesson) correspond to #2 above, but #1 is the...

Got questions about はずがない? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion