Translation guide
The feeling or state of having no hope; despair. In Japanese, this is expressed through nouns like 絶望, adjectives like 希望がない, and idiomatic phrases.
Expressing a state of having no hope, often about a situation or the future.
The most direct and common noun for 'hopelessness' or 'despair'. Can be used in formal and informal contexts.
彼は絶望のあまり何もできなかった。
He was so overcome with hopelessness that he couldn't do anything.
絶望的な状況だ。
It's a hopeless situation.
Literally 'there is no hope'. A straightforward, everyday way to say something is hopeless.
この計画には希望がない。
There's no hope for this plan.
More like 'disappointment' or 'despair' from unmet expectations. Slightly less intense than 絶望.
結果に失望した。
I was disappointed (felt hopeless) about the results.
A literary/emotional term for a helpless, inconsolable sorrow or hopelessness. Often used in poetry or deep emotional expression.
やるせない思いでいっぱいだ。
I'm filled with a sense of helpless sorrow.
Expressing personal hopelessness, often about one's abilities or future.
Literally 'can't hold hope in oneself'. Natural way to say you feel hopeless about yourself.
もう自分に希望が持てない。
I can't have any hope for myself anymore.
To lose confidence; often implies a sense of hopelessness about one's abilities.
失敗続きで自信をなくした。
After repeated failures, I lost confidence (felt hopeless).
Describing a situation that seems impossible to resolve or escape.
Means 'there's nothing that can be done', 'it's hopeless'. Very common in speech.
この問題はどうしようもない。
This problem is hopeless.
A more formal phrase meaning 'there is no remedy', 'nothing can be done'. Often used in serious contexts like medicine or disasters.
彼の病気は手の施しようがない。
His illness is hopeless (nothing can be done).
Describing a person who is incompetent or beyond help, often in a specific skill or habit.
A 'hopeless person' meaning someone who can't be helped or is incorrigible. Can be affectionate or critical depending on tone.
彼は本当にどうしようもない人だ。
He's a really hopeless person.
Means 'beyond saving/redemption'. Stronger than どうしようもない, often used for moral or serious flaws.
あの男は救いようがない嘘つきだ。
That man is a hopeless liar.
Slang for a 'useless person', a 'loser'. Very casual and often self-deprecating.
絶望 (zetsubou) is deep despair or hopelessness, often about a fundamental loss of hope. 失望 (shitsubou) is disappointment, a feeling of being let down by a specific outcome. 絶望 is stronger and more existential.
彼は人生に絶望した。
He despaired of life.
彼の態度に失望した。
I was disappointed by his attitude.
Avoid directly translating 'hopeless' as 希望がない in all contexts. For a 'hopeless situation', どうしようもない or 絶望的 is more natural. For a 'hopeless person', use どうしようもない人 or 救いようがない.
Literally 'blocked in all eight directions'. A vivid idiom for a situation where every option is blocked; complete deadlock.
八方塞がりの状態だ。
We're in a completely hopeless deadlock.
俺はダメ人間だ。
I'm a hopeless case.