adverbial N1 uncommon casualpolitewritten
どうにも〜ない — can't possibly ~ / there's no way to ~
どうにも〜ない ・ どうにもない
Meaning
- can't possibly ~ / there's no way to ~ (= どうにも + negative) — nothing one does can change the outcome
Key sentence
一人では、どうにもできないことだ。
It's something I just can't do anything about on my own.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Redirect: どうにも always takes a negative, so どうにも〜ない is covered at [[dou-nimo]].
See どうにも〜ない in real sentences
Jengo shows どうにも〜ない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar. Editorial confidence: medium.