わけがない (wake ga nai) vs. わけじゃない (wake ja nai) – What’s the Difference?
When learning a language, memorizing words can be a tricky thing, especially when they look so similar.
By the way, have you ever asked yourself these kinds of questions?
- “Wake ga nai” and “wake ja nai” look alike—what is the real difference?
- I know each meaning, but I keep mixing them up. How can I stop?
- How do I correctly use wake ga nai, wake ja nai, and wake dewa nai?
If so, no worries!
In this article, you’ll learn how these two look-alike expressions actually serve very different purposes :
わけがない
and
わけじゃない
🚀 Deep breath, eyes focused on the screen—let’s start studying!
わけがない (wake ga nai)
Meaning
わけがない (訳がない) literally means “there is no way that…” or “there is no reason for that.”
訳 (わけ, wake) means “reason” or “purpose,” so 訳がない refers to something with no reason to occur.
It denies possibility—moral, physical, or logical.
Structure
| Type | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Verb | dictionary form + わけがない |
| i-adjective | adjective + わけがない |
| na-adjective | stem + わけがない |
| Noun | noun + の (or である) + わけがない |
💡 Pro Tip: In casual speech you can drop “が.” Formal: わけがありません.
Examples
JP: こんな素敵な手紙を捨てるわけがない。
Romaji: konna sutekina tegami wo suteru wake ga nai.
EN: There is no way I could possibly throw out such a beautiful letter.
JP: スパイスを入れすぎたでしょう？このカレー、美味しいわけがない。
Romaji: supaisu wo iresugita deshou? kono karee, oishii wake ga nai.
EN: You added too much spice, didn’t you? There’s no way this curry tastes good.
JP: 秋葉原は静かなわけがないでしょう！
Romaji: akihabara wa shizukana wake ga nai deshou!
EN: There’s no way Akihabara can be quiet!
JP: 確かにこの影の形が像にみえるけど、こんな場所だから像のわけがないでしょう。
Romaji: tashikani kono kage no katachi ga zou ni mieru kedo, konna basho dakara zou no wake ga nai deshou.
EN: The shape of this shadow looks like an elephant, but in such a place, there’s no way it’s a real one.
わけじゃない (wake ja nai)
Meaning
わけじゃない is the casual form of わけではない (polite: わけではありません). It means “it does not mean that…”. It is often used to emphasize that one fact doesn’t necessarily lead to another.
Structure
| Type | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Verb | dictionary form + わけじゃない |
| i-adjective | adjective + わけじゃない |
| na-adjective | stem + わけじゃない |
| Noun | noun + だという + わけじゃない |
💡 Pro Tip: Polite forms are わけじゃありません, わけじゃないです, or わけではありません.
Examples
JP: この課題の難易度がかなり高いですが、解けないわけではないと思います。
Romaji: kono kadai no nanido ga kanari takai desuga, tokenai wake dewa nai to omoimasu.
EN: The level of difficulty of this problem is kind of high but it doesn’t mean it’s impossible to solve.
JP: トマトアレルギーだから、食べられないわけではないけど、食べない方がいい。
Romaji: tomato arerugii dakara taberarenai wake dewa nai kedo, tabenai houga ii.
EN: I am allergic to tomatoes. It’s not that I cannot eat them, but it’s better if I don’t.
JP: 彼があんまり料理しないけど、彼の手料理がまずいわけじゃないと思う。
Romaji: kare ga anmari ryouri shinai kedo, kare no teryouri ga mazui wake janai to omou.
EN: He cooks rarely but it does not mean his cuisine tastes bad.
JP: うるさい訳じゃないですが、音楽を止めてもらってもいいですか？
Romaji: urusai wake ja nai desu ga, ongaku wo tomete morattemo ii desuka?
EN: It is not like it is really noisy, but would you stop your music please?
Summary
As a summary, memorize わけがない as “NO WAY” and わけじゃない as “It is not that… but…”.
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