| English | Japanese |
| n a doubt that lurks in one's soul and that cannot be resolved | 疑団 |
| exp a man riding a tiger cannot disembark halfway through | 騎虎の勢い |
| book that cannot be classified in any category | 雑著 |
| exp uk cannot afford to | 訳にはいけない incorrect variant of 訳にはいかない |
| exp uk cannot afford to | 訳には行かない |
| exp uk cannot afford to | わけには行かない |
| exp uk cannot afford to | 訳にはいかない |
| n yoji cannot allow the sworn enemy to live in this world | 不倶戴天 |
| n yoji cannot allow oneself to live with someone under the canopy of heaven | 不倶戴天 |
| exp adj-i cannot avoid doing | せざる得ない |
| exp cannot avoid doing | やらざるを得ない |
| exp adj-i cannot avoid doing | せざるを得ない |
| exp adj-i cannot be | 図が無い |
| exp adj-i cannot be | 図がない |
| exp adj-i that cannot be avoided | 避けて通れない (e.g. problem) |
| exp adj-i cannot be broken | 切っても切れない (cut, separated) |
| adj-i cannot be compared with | 比べ物にならない |
| exp adj-i cannot be faulted | 非の打ち所が無い |
| exp adj-i cannot be faulted | 非の打ちどころがない |
| exp adj-i cannot be faulted | 非の打ちどころが無い |
| exp adj-i cannot be faulted | 非の打ち所がない |
| exp cannot be foreseen | 海の物とも山の物とも判らない |
| exp cannot be helped | 止むを得ない ichi2 (やむをえない) |
| exp adj-i cannot be helped | やむ終えない |
| exp adj-i cannot be helped | やもう得ない incorrect variant of やむを得ない |
| exp adj-i cannot be helped | 止む負えない incorrect variant of やむを得ない |
| exp adj-i cannot be helped | やむ負えない |
| exp adj-i cannot be helped | 止む終えない |
| exp cannot be helped | 是非に及ばず |
| exp cannot be helped | 已むを得ない |
| exp cannot be helped | やむを得ない spec1 |
| adj-na cannot be taken | 注文不可 (order) |
| exp adj-i cannot be undone | 取返しのつかない |
| exp adj-i cannot be undone | 取り返しのつかない |
| exp cannot be undone | 取返しがつかない |
| exp cannot be undone | 取り返しがつかない |
| exp cannot bear not to | ならぬ |
| exp cannot bear not to | ならん |
| exp cannot bear not to | なりません usu. ...てならない or ...でならない |
| exp cannot bear not to | ならない spec1 |
| exp adj-i cannot bring oneself | 忍びない (to do, etc.) |
| uk cannot but do | 堪ったものではない emphatic form of 堪らない |
| uk cannot but do | 堪らない ichi1 |
| exp cannot contain one's anger | 腹の虫が治まらない |
| exp cannot deny | 否めない |
| exp cannot deny | 否め無い |
| exp cannot do a thing | 手も足も出ない |
| exp uk cannot do without something | 無くてはならない |
| exp uk cannot do without something | 無きゃならない |
| exp uk cannot do without something | 無くてはいけない spec1 |
| exp uk cannot do without something | 無きゃいけない spec1 |
| uk col abbr cannot do without something | 無きゃ |
| exp adj-i cannot go together | 肌が合わない (with) |
| exp cannot handle it any longer | 付き合いきれない |
| exp cannot help | ならぬ (doing, etc.) |
| exp cannot help | ならない spec1 (doing, etc.) |
| exp cannot help | ざるを得ない (doing) |
| uk cannot help | 堪ったものではない emphatic form of 堪らない (doing) |
| exp cannot help | ざる得ない (doing) |
| exp cannot help | なりません usu. ...てならない or ...でならない (doing, etc.) |
| exp cannot help | ならん (doing, etc.) |
| uk cannot help | 堪らない ichi1 (doing) |
| uk cannot help but ... | 居られる |
| exp adj-i cannot help but | せざる得ない (do) |
| exp cannot help but | やらざるを得ない (do) |
| exp adj-i cannot help but | せざるを得ない (do) |
| exp cannot help feeling that | 思えてならない |
| exp cannot help doing something | ほかない |
| exp cannot help thinking that | 思えてならない |
| exp cannot live even a minute without someone or something | 夜も日も明けない |
| exp adj-i cannot make a living | 飯が食えない |
| exp cannot possibly be | べくもない |
| exp cannot resist | ならぬ |
| exp cannot resist | なりません usu. ...てならない or ...でならない |
| exp cannot resist | ならん |
| exp cannot resist | ならない spec1 |
| adj-i cannot rest in peace | 浮かばれない news2 nf42 |
| exp uk cannot sit still | 居ても立っても居られない |
| exp uk cannot sit still | 居ても立ってもいられない |
| exp v1 cannot stomach | 腹に据え兼ねる |
| exp v1 cannot stomach | 腹にすえかねる |
| exp v1 cannot stomach | 腹に据えかねる |
| exp v1 cannot suppress one's anger | 腹にすえかねる |
| exp v1 cannot suppress one's anger | 腹に据え兼ねる |
| exp v1 cannot suppress one's anger | 腹に据えかねる |
| exp adj-i cannot understand | 腑に落ちない |
| concealing one's home such that the interior cannot be seen from outside | 目かくし |
| concealing one's home such that the interior cannot be seen from outside | 目隠し news2 nf29 |
| dire situation from which one cannot extricate oneself | ドロ沼 |
| dire situation from which one cannot extricate oneself | 泥沼 news1 nf12 |
| n yoji having an itch that one cannot scratch | 隔靴掻痒 |
| injure so badly they cannot recover | 打ちのめす news2 nf40 (esp. emotionally) |
| exp adj-i uk it cannot be helped | どう仕様もない |
| adj-i it cannot be helped | 為ん方無い |
| exp uk it cannot be helped | 止むかたなし |
| exp uk it cannot be helped | 止む方なし |
| exp uk it cannot be helped | やむ方なし |
| adj-i it cannot be helped | 詮方無い ateji |
| exp adj-i uk it cannot be helped | どう仕様も無い |
| exp one cannot be too careful of ... | 油断も隙も無い |
| exp one cannot be too careful of ... | 油断も隙もない |
| exp one cannot have pain without pleasure, and one cannot have pleasure without pain | 楽は苦の種苦は楽の種 |
| exp one cannot have pleasure without pain | 苦は楽の種 |
| n yoji person who cannot stick to anything | 三日ぼうず |
| n yoji person who cannot stick to anything | 三日坊主 |
| exp phenomenon that perfect reasoning fail if an idiot cannot understand | バカの壁 |
| exp phenomenon that perfect reasoning fail if an idiot cannot understand | 馬鹿の壁 |
| n point along a mountain pass beyond which a horse cannot travel | 馬返し |
| n room that cannot be entered | 密室 news1 nf12 (i.e. because it's locked from the inside) |
| situation in which a group of stones cannot be captured because it contains contains two or more gaps | 活き (in go) |
| situation in which a group of stones cannot be captured because it contains contains two or more gaps | 生き news1 nf13 (in go, īki) |
| someone who cannot swim | 徳利 news2 nf45 |
| exp someone who knows a theory, but cannot apply it | 論語読みの論語知らず |
| exp something that cannot be done no matter how hard one tries | 二階から目薬 (and is slightly frustrating because of this) |
| n yoji Spiritual awakening cannot be experienced with words and letters | 教外別伝 |
| exp yoji Spiritual awakening cannot be experienced with words and letters | 不立文字 |
| exp talking so fast that even a four-horse coach cannot catch up to the words | 駟も舌に及ばず |
| n yoji the subtle and profound beauty of poems that cannot be described in words | 鏡花水月 |
| exp two great rivals cannot coexist | 両雄並び立たず |
| n yoji view in the distant offing where the sea and skyline cannot be distinguished | 水天髣髴 |
| n yoji view in the distant offing where the sea and skyline cannot be distinguished | 水天彷彿 |
| exp You cannot be too careful | 用心に越した事は無い |
| exp You cannot see the wood for trees | 鹿を追う者は山を見ず |
| exp you cannot win against someone who doesn't listen to reason | 泣く子と地頭には勝てない (e.g. a crying child or a violent lord) |
| exp you cannot win against someone who doesn't listen to reason | 泣く子と地頭には勝てぬ (e.g. a crying child or a violent lord) |
| exp You may take a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink | 馬を水辺に導く事は出来るが馬に水を飲ませる事は出来ない |