(wú fǎ) - unable to, cannot, have no way to in Mandarin

wúfǎ

Traditional: 無法

HSK 5

#367 of 5,000 Core 1000

Translation

unable to, cannot, have no way to

Word origin

A two-character compound meaning unable to or to have no way to. 无 (wú) 'not have, without' joins 法 (fǎ) 'method, way', literally 'no method'. 法 has the 氵 'water' radical, traditionally linked to ideas of fairness and law.

Origin: compound
Root: 无 (wú, 'without') + 法 (fǎ, 'method/way')

Stroke order

无

法

Examples

。

I cannot accept this result.

。

There is no way to explain this phenomenon.

绪xù。

He cannot control his emotions.

。

I cannot believe this news.

。

He is unable to solve this problem.

无法 (wú fǎ) - unable to, cannot, have no way to.

Where this fits

The 1,000 most common Mandarin words

Where this word sits in the core vocabulary, and what to learn around it.

Mandarin vocabulary by HSK level

How many words each level actually needs, with real counts.

Mandarin learning guides

Podcasts, pronunciation traps and the things a word list cannot teach.

Add to review queue

Track this word in your spaced-repetition queue and be tested on it at the right interval.

Go to my review queue

Mandarin · Free printables

无法: worksheet, infographic and listicle

Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "无法" (unable to, cannot, have no way to): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.

Free for members

The printable worksheets, infographics and PDFs are free with an account. Start a free week and download as many as you like.

Start your free week

This word is part of lesson 8.