How to say “unable to” in Chinese

无法

wúfǎ

unable to, no way to

verb · HSK 4 · topic “Profession and plans”

“Unable to” in Chinese is 无法, wú fǎ: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.

How to pronounce it

无法 is read wú fǎ: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.

wú — 2nd tonerising, like a surprised “huh?”

fǎ — 3rd tonelow, dipping and rising a little

How to write it

无

wú — not have, without

A literary counterpart of 没有. Don't confuse it with 天: in 无 the right leg curls into a hook.

法

fǎ — law; method

On the left, 氵 “water”; on the right, 去 “go away”.

Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “无法”.

Examples

Sentences from the course lessons with 无法. Tap the sound icon to listen.

我无法回答这个问题。wǒwúfǎhuídázhègewèntíI can’t answer this question.
我今天加班无法参加晚会wǒjīntiānjiābān,wúfǎcānjiāwǎnhuìI’m working overtime today and won’t be able to come to the party.
这里的风景美得无法形容zhèlǐdefēngjǐngměidewúfǎxíngróngThe scenery here is beautiful beyond words.
没有水人无法生存méiyǒushuǐ,rénwúfǎshēngcúnWithout water, people can’t survive.
谁也无法预测未来shéiyěwúfǎyùcèwèiláiNo one can predict the future.
我无法想象没有手机的生活。wǒwúfǎxiǎngxiàngméiyǒushǒujīdeshēnghuóI can't imagine life without a phone.

More words from the lesson “An award for hard work”

Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say “unable to” in Chinese?

“Unable to” in Chinese is 无法, pinyin wúfǎ.

What does 无法 mean?

无法 (wúfǎ) means “unable to, no way to”.

How do you write 无法?

无法 is 2 characters: 无 (wú) — not have, without; 法 (fǎ) — law; method. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.

How do you pronounce 无法?

无法 is read wúfǎ. Tones: wú — second tone, fǎ — third tone. The page has a native speaker recording.

“unable to” in the lesson “An award for hard work”

This word is from the topic “Profession and plans” of HSK 4. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.

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