adjective

  1. there's no (other) way.
  2. cannot be helped, unavoidable, inevitable, (there's) nothing one can do, having no choice.
  3. it's no use (doing), pointless, useless, no good, insufficient, not enough. Oft. as 〜ても仕方ない.
  4. hopeless (person), annoying, troublesome, awful.
  5. cannot stand it, unbearable, cannot help (doing, feeling), dying (to do). As 〜て仕方ない or 〜で仕方ない.

Variations

Pronunciation Kanji Kana Is Common
 
 
仕方ない しかたない
 
仕方無い しかたない

Contained Kanji Breakdown

attend, doing, official
シ つか.える (3rd, N4)
human radical (no. 9)
gentleman, scholar, samurai
シ さむらい お (4th, N1)
direction, person, alternative
ホウ かた なた (2nd, N4)
dot, tick or dot radical (no. 3)
チュ (Kentei 1)
ten thousand, 10,000
バン マン よろず (2nd, N5)
one, one radical (no.1)
イチ いっ ひと- (1st, N5)
wrapping enclosure, wrapping radical (no. 20)
ホウ つつ.む (Kentei 1)