Meaning & Usage
✨ Basic Meaning
‘Have no choice but to…’ or ‘Only’.
🎯 Primary Function
To emphasize that there is only one possible course of action or one specific option available.
📋 Grammar Structure
Verb (Dictionary Form) + しかない
Not applicable (primarily used with verbs or nouns).
Not applicable (primarily used with verbs or nouns).
The phrase itself is negative (nai), so it doesn’t have a further negative form in this context.
🎭 Usage Contexts
Formal Situations
Used in business or formal writing to state inevitable conclusions or lack of resources.
Informal Situations
Very common in daily life to complain or express a hard reality among friends.
Written Language
Common in novels, news reports, and essays to describe limited options.
Spoken Language
Often used with a tone of resignation or determination.
💡 Common Applications
Expressing Lack of Alternatives
Used when all other options have been exhausted or are unavailable.
Example: やるしかない (I have to do it).
Resignation to a Situation
Expresses a feeling of ‘it can’t be helped’ (shikata ga nai).
Example: 諦めるしかない (No choice but to give up).
Emphasizing a Single Action
Used to focus on the only remaining possible action.
Example: 祈るしかない (All we can do is pray).
Frequency
High in daily conversation and literature.
Difficulty
N3 (Intermediate)
Tag:
Example Sentences
Example #1
終電を逃したので、歩いて帰るしかない。
Furigana: しゅうでんをのがしたので、あるいてかえるしかない。
Romaji: Shuuden o nogashita node, aruite kaeru shika nai.
English: Since I missed the last train, I have no choice but to walk home.
Example #2
誰にも頼めないから、自分でするしかない。
Furigana: だれにもたのめないから、じぶんでするしかない。
Romaji: Dare ni mo tanomenai kara, jibun de suru shika nai.
English: Since I can’t ask anyone else, I have no choice but to do it myself.
Example #3
お金がないから、これからは節約するしかない。
Furigana: おかねがないから、これからはせつやくするしかない。
Romaji: Okane ga nai kara, kore kara wa setsuyaku suru shika nai.
English: Because I have no money, I have no choice but to save from now on.
Example #4
ここまで来たら、最後までやるしかない。
Furigana: ここまできたら、さいごまでやるしかない。
Romaji: Koko made kitara, saigo made yaru shika nai.
English: Since we’ve come this far, we have no choice but to see it through to the end.
Example #5
辞書を忘れたので、隣の人に見せてもらうしかない。
Furigana: じしょをわすれたので、となりおひとにみせてもらうしかない。
Romaji: Jisho o wasureta node, tonari no hito ni misete morau shika nai.
English: I forgot my dictionary, so I have no choice but to ask the person next to me to let me see theirs.
Example #6
雨が降ってきた。傘がないので濡れて帰るしかない。
Furigana: あめがふってきた。かさがないのでぬれてかえるしかない。
Romaji: Ame ga futtekita. Kasa ga nai node nurete kaeru shika nai.
English: It started raining. I don’t have an umbrella, so I have no choice but to get wet on my way home.
Example #7
テストが近いから、死ぬ気で勉強するしかない。
Furigana: てすとがちかいから、しぬきでべんきょうするしかない。
Romaji: Tesuto ga chikai kara, shinuki de benkyou suru shika nai.
English: The test is close, so I have no choice but to study like my life depends on it.
Example #8
これだけ頑張ったのだから、あとは結果を待つしかない。
Furigana: これだけがんばったのだから、あとはけっかをまつしかない。
Romaji: Kore dake ganbatta no dakara, ato wa kekka o matsu shika nai.
English: Since I’ve worked this hard, all I can do now is wait for the results.
Example #9
バスが遅れている。急いでいるからタクシーに乗るしかない。
Furigana: ばすがおくれている。いそいでいるからたくしーにのるしかない。
Romaji: Basu ga okurete iru. Isoide iru kara takushii ni noru shika nai.
English: The bus is late. I’m in a hurry, so I have no choice but to take a taxi.
Example #10
鍵をなくしたから、鍵屋を呼ぶしかない。
Furigana: かぎをなくしたから、かぎやをよぶしかない。
Romaji: Kagi o nakushita kara, kagiya o yobu shika nai.
English: I lost my keys, so I have no choice but to call a locksmith.
Notes & Nuances
📌 Important Points
Resignation (Shikata ga nai) nuance.
It often carries a psychological weight of resignation or ‘giving up’ on other possibilities.
Example: 頑張るしかない。
Formal alternatives.
While ‘shika nai’ is common, ‘hoka nai’ or ‘yori hoka nai’ is its more formal literary counterpart.
Example: ほか（に）ない (hoka ni nai).
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❌ 歩きますしかない (arukimasu shika nai).
✅ 歩くしかない (dictionary form).
You must use the dictionary form of the verb, not the polite form.
❌ Using it interchangeably with だけ (dake) without the negative context.
✅ It implies no other options exist, whereas だけ (dake) just indicates quantity.
Shika nai always pairs with a negative and implies that everything else has been excluded.
🏛️ Cultural Context
Politeness Level: The phrase itself is neutral, but can be made polite by using ‘しかありません’ (shika arimasen).
Social Situations: Commonly used when discussing problems or narrow choices.
Regional Variations: Standard across Japan.
🔍 Subtle Differences
しかない vs. だけ (dake)
‘Shika nai’ is more subjective and emphasizes the lack of other options, while ‘dake’ is a more objective statement of ‘only’.
When to use: Use ‘shika nai’ when you feel there are no other choices.
しかない vs. ざるを得ない (zaru o enai)
‘Zaru o enai’ is much more formal and often used in writing for N1/N2 levels.
When to use: Use ‘shika nai’ for general conversation.
📝 Conjugation Notes
Always follows the dictionary form (u-form) of verbs. It can also follow nouns directly in the sense of ‘only’.
🔊 Pronunciation Tips
The ‘shika’ is often slightly emphasized to show the limitation.
🧠 Memory Tips
Think of ‘shika’ as ‘except’ and ‘nai’ as ‘nothing’. Together they mean ‘nothing except [this]’, which leads to ‘having no choice but [this]’.
Other Grammar
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