Shoganai (しょうがない) is an important word in Japan. It can be translated as "it can't be helped". Japanese people often use it to describe their culture.

Shoganai is (essentially) a philosophy. It says that if something is out of your control it's better to quickly accept it and move on.

Shoganai explains why Japanese people can deal with terrible situations such as disasters without complaining. It also explains how Japan recovered so quickly from WWII after many of it's cities had been completely destroyed.

Some argue that shoganai can have a negative effect too. For example, many Japanese people disagreed with Japan's actions during WWII but didn't speak up. Extreme right wing nationalist elements in the country seemed too powerful to fight (shoganai).

In recent times, shoganai is often used to explain why many Japanese are unhappy with government policy but don't bother to vote.

Tweet

Please take the time to follow us on google+, twitter or our facebook page. We update all three daily.

Follow @japantalkjohn

18 Japanese Desserts the Emperor Might Eat

40 Things to do in Osaka

	How To Explain Japan in 7 Words Or Less These words go a long way to explain Japanese culture: the way Japanese people think.
	101 Kinds Of Japanese Food Japan is a food lovers paradise. Japanese people are obsessed with food. In Japan, food is a popular topic of conversation and on Japanese television.