っこない
No Way
Use っこない when you want to say 'No way!' or 'That's absolutely impossible.' It is a casual, emphatic way to express that there is zero chance of an event occurring.
How It Works
The pattern っこない is used to dismiss an idea as completely impossible. Unlike more formal expressions, this one carries a strong 'gut feeling' or emotional tone.
1. Formation:
It attaches to the masu-stem of a verb.
- 行く（いく） → 行き（いき） + っこない = 行きっこない (There is no way I will go)
- できる → でき + っこない = できっこない (No way I can do it)
2. Common Usage with Potential Form:
It is very frequently paired with the potential form to emphasize a lack of ability.
- 覚えられない（おぼえられない） → 覚えられっこない (No way I can memorize it)
3. The One-Syllable Rule and Exceptions:
Generally, verbs with a one-syllable stem (like 見る（みる） → み, 寝る（ねる） → ね) are not used with this pattern. However, the following are common exceptions in casual speech:
- 来る（くる） → 来っこない（きっこない） (No way they're coming)
- する → しっこない (No way I'm doing that)
4. Emphasis with Nante/Nanka:
This pattern is often used with なんて or なんか to further emphasize the speaker's dismissive attitude toward the action.
- そんなこと、できっこない。 → そんなことなんて、できっこない。
5. Nuance vs. Others:
While わけがない implies a logical reason why something is impossible, っこない is more about the speaker's personal opinion or dismissive attitude.
Examples (4)
- そんな難しい漢字、一日で覚えられっこないよ。
There's no way I can memorize such difficult kanji in a single day.
Word by Word: Such difficult kanji, in one day, cannot-memorize-no-way.
Here, the potential stem 覚えられ（おぼえられ） is used to emphasize the impossibility of the task.
- 宝くじなんて、どうせ当たりっこない。
There's no way I'll win the lottery anyway.
Word by Word: Lottery (dismissive), anyway, win-no-way.
The speaker is expressing a strong subjective belief that winning is impossible.
- 今から走ったって、間に合いっこないよ。
Even if we run now, there's no way we'll make it in time.
Word by Word: From now even if run, make-it-in-time-no-way.
間に合い（まにあい） is the stem of 間に合う. This shows a dismissive judgment of the situation.
- 彼が時間通りに来っこないよ。いつも遅刻するんだから。
There's no way he'll come on time. He's always late, after all.
Word by Word: He (subject) time-on come-no-way. Always tardy-do because.
This uses the exception verb 来る（くる） to show a strong prediction based on past behavior.
Common Mistakes
Using it in formal or polite situations.
そんなことはできっこありません。そんなことはできるわけがありません。っこない is inherently casual. Combining it with polite endings like ありません sounds unnatural. Use わけがない for polite impossibility.
Attaching it to nouns or adjectives.
あのテストは無理っこない。あのテストは無理に決まっている。っこない only attaches to verb stems. For nouns or adjectives, use expressions like に決まっている (bound to be) or わけがない.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand っこない, you need to know how to conjugate verbs into their stem form (ます form minus ます). It is also helpful to understand other ways of expressing impossibility like わけがない to appreciate the emphatic and casual nuance of this specific pattern.
Related Patterns
- そうもないUnlikely to
そうもない means something 'doesn't look likely,' while っこない is much stronger, asserting it is 'absolutely impossible.'
Level 2 - ようがないNo Way to
ようがない means there is 'no physical way/method' to do something, while っこない is a prediction that it 'won't happen.'
Level 3 - はずShould Be/supposed to
はず expresses an expectation. はずがない (it shouldn't be) is the logical counterpart to the emotional っこない.
Level 2 - られる/えるPotential Form
The potential form is frequently used as the base for っこない to emphasize the lack of ability to perform an action.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice っこない in Bubblegum
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