[podcast]http://media.libsyn.com/media/japanese/lj67.mp3[/podcast]
If you come to Japan it is impossible to avoid the phrase “sho ga nai” which means “it can’t be helped”. This phrase along with it’s more formal version “shikata ga nai” is used to express the concept of “c’est la vie” when life throws an unpleasant situation your way and you feel powerless to avoid or correct it.
It’s raining today, we can’t go on a picnic, “sho ga nai”.
I failed my entrance exams, “sho ga nai”.
The entire world is against us on our whaling policy, “sho ga nai”.
“Sho ga nai” has been interpreted as the stoic self sacrificing nature of the Japanese which can also be found in Buddhist teachings and their emphasis on group identity.
“I have to go into work on sunday- sho ga nai”
The ultimate expression of “sho ga nai” was at the end of the second world war when their emperor asked his people to endure the unendurable and embrace defeat.
An unkinder and more western interpretation would conclude “sho ga nai” means “I can’t be bothered”. Arguably, you cannot run a sucessful company by shrugging your shoulders when your employees are lazy and unmotivated.
Regardless of whether you think “sho ga nai” expresses a fatalistic unwillingness to make changes or is an enlightened acceptance of life, “sho ga nai” is an essential phrase for students of Japanese.
In this lesson, Waka teaches us how to use “sho ga nai” just like a native. Enjoy.
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