adverbial N3 common casualpolitewritten
どうしても — no matter what
どうしても
Meaning
① at any cost: no matter what / at any cost / by all means — a strong determination or insistence
② (with negative) just can't: however hard one tries, ~ not — an inability that persists no matter what you do
Key sentence
① at any cost
どうしてもあの大学に入りたい。
I want to get into that university no matter what.
② (with negative) just can't
彼の名前がどうしても思い出せない。
I just can't remember his name, however hard I try.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Adverb — stands alone before the predicate | どうしても + predicate (positive: insistence; negative: persistent inability) | どうしても行きたい / どうしてもできない |
Examples
① at any cost
どうしても今日中に終わらせなければならない。
I have to finish it today, no matter what.
② (with negative) just can't
どうしても納得できない点がある。
There's a point I simply can't accept, no matter what.
Easily confused with
See どうしても in real sentences
Jengo shows どうしても the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.