How to say 'Cannot' in Japanese | 到底

Wondering how to say 'Cannot' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Cannot is 'Toutei', written as 到底 in Japanese.'Cannot' in hiragana is とうてい.

word

到底

Meaning

Cannot

Reading

とうてい

toutei

Kanji

到Reach, Arrival 底Bottom

Explanation

The Japanese adverb '到底 (とうてい)' is used to express that something is absolutely impossible or cannot be done under any circumstances. It is often used in negative sentences to emphasize the impossibility of an action or situation. For example: I cannot possibly understand「到底理解できない」(とうていりかいできない). It is impossible to finish this by today「到底今日中には終わらない」(とうていきょうじゅうにはおわらない). This adverb carries a strong sense of finality and is typically used in formal or written contexts.

Part Of Speech

adverb

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

5614

Composition

kanji

Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 到底

This word contains 2 kanji characters:

kanji

到

Meaning

Reach, Arrival

kanji

底

Meaning

Bottom

Words Related to 到底 Through the Kanji 到

These 3 Words contain the Kanji 到 as well.

word

到頭

Meaning

Finally

word

到着

Meaning

Arrival

word

到達

Meaning

Arrival, Attainment

Words Related to 到底 Through the Kanji 底

These 3 Words contain the Kanji 底 as well.

word

底

Meaning

Bottom

word

徹底

Meaning

Thoroughness

word

徹底的

Meaning

Thorough

Learn the Word 到底

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Toutei' (到底) mean?

'Toutei' means 'Cannot' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.