modality N1 uncommon casualwritten
〜ためしがない — it has never once happened that ~
〜ためしがない ・ ためしがない
Meaning
- there has never once been a case of ~ — emphatic, drawn from repeated experience, that something never happens
Usually critical or exasperated: it points to a track record of failure or unreliability ('not once, ever').
Key sentence
彼の予想が当たったためしがない。
His predictions have never once come true.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb た-form (or noun + の) | V-た／Nの + ためしがない | 守ったためしがない / 成功のためしがない |
Examples
あの店が時間どおりに開いたためしがない。
That shop has never once opened on time.
彼女が約束を守ったためしがない。
She has never once kept a promise.
この機械が一度で動いたためしがない。
This machine has never once worked on the first try.
Notes
- Differs from a neutral 〜ことがない ('have never ~'). ためしがない insists that despite repeated chances it has not happened EVEN ONCE, and carries a tone of complaint about that track record.
See 〜ためしがない in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ためしがない the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.