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詮無い (せんない) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Meanings 1
i-adjective
unavoidable ; no help for it ; pointless to resist
Literary or somewhat old-fashioned adjective expressing that a situation is inevitable and there is no use in struggling against it. Often used in resigned or philosophical contexts.
入い
れる
しか
なかっ
た
。
I had no choice but to accept my unavoidable fate.
Written forms 詮せん 無な い Usage 25%
Standard kanji spelling for this literary adjective.
詮せん ない Usage 50%
Variant spelling with okurigana ない instead of 無い.
せんない Usage 25%
Kana spelling; may be used when the kanji 詮 is considered difficult or obscure.
Kanji 詮 discussion, methods called for, selection 無 nothingness, none, ain't Similar words 仕し 方かた ない More common and colloquial than 詮無い, used in everyday speech for 'it can't be helped'.
やむを 得え ない Formal expression meaning 'unavoidable' or 'there is no other way'; more objective and less literary than 詮無い.
Etymology The word is composed of 詮 (せん, 'effect; result') and 無い (ない, 'not exist'), literally meaning 'without effect' or 'fruitless', which extended to 'unavoidable' or 'no help for it'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but it has been used in classical and literary Japanese.
