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Certainty & Probability

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 - No way

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 expresses strong conviction that something is impossible or cannot be true. It means "there's no way," "cannot be," or "impossible" in English.

Structure

Verb/Adjective stem + -(으)ㄹ 리가 없다

Breakdown:

  • -(으)ㄹ: Future modifier
  • 리: Reason, possibility
  • 가: Subject marker
  • 없다: To not exist

Literal meaning: "There is no possibility/reason that..." → "No way/Cannot be"

Formation Rules

Stem Ending in Vowel or ㄹ: -ㄹ 리가 없다

Vowel stems:

  • 가다 → 갈 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] goes)
  • 하다 → 할 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] does)
  • 오다 → 올 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] comes)
  • 되다 → 될 리가 없어요 (no way [it] becomes)

ㄹ stem (drop ㄹ):

  • 만들다 → 만들 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] makes)
  • 살다 → 살 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] lives)
  • 놀다 → 놀 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] plays)

Stem Ending in Consonant: -을 리가 없다

Consonant stems:

  • 먹다 → 먹을 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] eats)
  • 읽다 → 읽을 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] reads)
  • 듣다 → 들을 리가 없어요 (no way [someone] hears)
  • 좋다 → 좋을 리가 없어요 (no way [it's] good)
  • 맞다 → 맞을 리가 없어요 (no way [it's] correct)

Politeness Levels

Formal (없습니다)

  • 갈 리가 없습니다 (there's no way [someone] goes)
  • 좋을 리가 없습니다 (there's no way [it's] good)
  • 맞을 리가 없습니다 (there's no way [it's] correct)

Polite (없어요)

  • 갈 리가 없어요 (there's no way [someone] goes)
  • 좋을 리가 없어요 (there's no way [it's] good)
  • 맞을 리가 없어요 (there's no way [it's] correct)

Casual (없어)

  • 갈 리가 없어 (no way [someone] goes)
  • 좋을 리가 없어 (no way [it's] good)
  • 맞을 리가 없어 (no way [it's] correct)

Core Meaning: Strong Impossibility

Expressing Disbelief

When something seems impossible:

  • 그럴 리가 없어요 (That can't be / No way)
  • 그가 거짓말할 리가 없어요 (There's no way he would lie)
  • 그녀가 모를 리가 없어요 (There's no way she doesn't know)
  • 실수할 리가 없어요 (There's no way [someone] made a mistake)

Denying Possibilities

Rejecting suggestions:

  • 그 사람이 범인일 리가 없어요 (There's no way that person is the culprit)
  • 이게 맞을 리가 없어요 (There's no way this is correct)
  • 그가 올 리가 없어요 (There's no way he'll come)

Defending Someone

When you trust someone:

  • 친구가 그럴 리가 없어요 (There's no way my friend would do that)
  • 우리 아이가 그럴 리가 없어요 (There's no way my child would do that)
  • 그 사람이 그럴 리가 없어요 (There's no way that person would do that)

Common Usage Patterns

Expressing Impossibility

Something cannot happen:

  • 그게 가능할 리가 없어요 (There's no way that's possible)
  • 하루 만에 끝낼 리가 없어요 (No way to finish it in one day)
  • 혼자서 할 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] did it alone)

Rejecting False Information

When information must be wrong:

  • 그게 사실일 리가 없어요 (That can't be true / No way that's true)
  • 그럴 리가 없어요! (No way! / That can't be!)
  • 맞을 리가 없어요 (There's no way that's correct)

About Character

When someone's character wouldn't allow it:

  • 그 사람이 도둑질할 리가 없어요 (No way that person would steal)
  • 선생님이 그런 말씀을 하실 리가 없어요 (No way the teacher would say that)
  • 정직한 사람이 거짓말할 리가 없어요 (An honest person wouldn't lie)

Tense Variations

Present/Future: -(으)ㄹ 리가 없다

Basic form - cannot be/happen:

  • 갈 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] goes)
  • 올 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] comes)
  • 좋을 리가 없어요 (No way [it's] good)

Past: -았/었을 리가 없다

Cannot have happened:

  • 갔을 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] went)
  • 했을 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] did it)
  • 그랬을 리가 없어요 (No way that happened)
  • 말했을 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] said that)

Progressive: -고 있을 리가 없다

Cannot be doing now:

  • 자고 있을 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] is sleeping)
  • 거짓말하고 있을 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] is lying)

Positive Form: -(으)ㄹ 리가 있다

Opposite Meaning

There's a possibility (less common):

  • 올 리가 있어요 (There's a possibility they'll come)
  • 맞을 리가 있어요 (There's a possibility it's correct)

Note: This positive form is much less common. Usually express possibility with:

  • 올 수도 있어요 (might come)
  • 올지도 몰라요 (might come)
  • 올 것 같아요 (seems like will come)

Common Expressions

Everyday Disbelief

  • 그럴 리가 없어요 (No way / That can't be)
  • 말도 안 돼요! 그럴 리가 없어요 (That's nonsense! No way!)
  • 아니에요, 그럴 리가 없어요 (No, that's impossible)
  • 절대 그럴 리가 없어요 (Absolutely no way)

Defending Character

  • 그 사람이 그럴 리가 없어요 (That person wouldn't do that)
  • 우리 딸이 거짓말할 리가 없어요 (My daughter wouldn't lie)
  • 친구가 배신할 리가 없어요 (My friend wouldn't betray me)

About Facts

  • 사실일 리가 없어요 (Can't be true)
  • 진짜일 리가 없어요 (Can't be real)
  • 맞을 리가 없어요 (Can't be correct)
  • 가능할 리가 없어요 (Can't be possible)

About Abilities

  • 혼자 할 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] did it alone)
  • 모를 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] doesn't know)
  • 잊어버렸을 리가 없어요 (No way [someone] forgot)

Example Dialogues

Dialogue 1: Expressing Disbelief

A: 철수가 시험에서 100점을 받았대요.
(I heard Cheolsu got 100 points on the exam.)

B: 정말요? 그럴 리가 없어요. 공부를 안 했는데.
(Really? No way. He didn't study.)

Dialogue 2: Defending Someone

A: 민수가 당신 돈을 훔쳤대요.
(They say Minsu stole your money.)

B: 말도 안 돼요! 민수가 그럴 리가 없어요.
(That's nonsense! There's no way Minsu would do that.)

Dialogue 3: Rejecting Information

A: 이 답이 맞는 것 같아요.
(I think this answer is correct.)

B: 아니에요, 그게 맞을 리가 없어요. 다시 계산해 보세요.
(No, there's no way that's correct. Calculate again.)

Dialogue 4: About Possibility

A: 그 사람이 지금 집에 있을까요?
(Do you think that person is at home now?)

B: 아니요, 이 시간에 집에 있을 리가 없어요. 회사에 있을 거예요.
(No, there's no way they're home at this time. They're probably at work.)

Common Mistakes

❌ Incorrect: 가 리가 없어요

Missing modifier

✅ Correct: 갈 리가 없어요

Need -(으)㄰ form

❌ Incorrect: 갈 이가 없어요

Wrong particle - 이 instead of 리

✅ Correct: 갈 리가 없어요

Use 리 (possibility/reason)

❌ Incorrect: 갈 리 없어요

Missing particle 가

✅ Correct: 갈 리가 없어요

Need subject particle 가

Usage Notes

Strength of Denial

Very strong denial (95%+ certain it's false):

  • -(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 (No way, impossible)
  • Stronger than 것 같지 않다
  • Expresses near-absolute certainty

Emotional Tone

Can express:

  • Disbelief (That can't be!)
  • Defense (They wouldn't do that!)
  • Logical impossibility (That's impossible)
  • Strong conviction (I'm certain that's not true)

Common Contexts

Used when:

  • Defending someone's character
  • Rejecting false accusations
  • Expressing disbelief at news
  • Denying possibilities
  • Asserting impossibility

Comparison with Similar Expressions

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 vs 불가능하다

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 (natural, common):

  • 그럴 리가 없어요 (No way / That can't be)

불가능하다 (formal, direct):

  • 그건 불가능해요 (That's impossible)

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 vs 안 -(으)ㄹ 거예요

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 (stronger - impossible):

  • 올 리가 없어요 (No way they'll come - impossible)

안 -(으)ㄹ 거예요 (neutral - won't):

  • 안 올 거예요 (They won't come - simple negative)

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 vs -(으)ㄹ 것 같지 않다

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 (impossible - 95%+):

  • 올 리가 없어요 (No way they'll come)

-(으)ㄹ 것 같지 않다 (probably not - 60-70%):

  • 올 것 같지 않아요 (Doesn't seem like they'll come)

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 vs 절대 안

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 (emphasizes impossibility):

  • 그럴 리가 없어요 (That can't be / No way)

절대 안 (emphasizes absolute negation):

  • 절대 안 가요 (Absolutely won't go)

말도 안 돼요 (That's nonsense)

Often used together:

  • 말도 안 돼요! 그럴 리가 없어요! (That's nonsense! No way!)

있을 수 없다 (Cannot exist/happen)

Similar meaning, more formal:

  • 그런 일은 있을 수 없어요 (Such a thing cannot happen)

절대로 아니다 (Absolutely not)

Strong denial:

  • 절대로 아니에요 (Absolutely not)

Summary Table

ExpressionCertaintyUsage
-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다95%+No way, impossible (very strong)
불가능하다95%+Impossible (formal)
-(으)ㄹ 것 같지 않다30-40%Doesn't seem like (weak)
안 -(으)ㄹ 거예요70-80%Won't (neutral negative)
절대 안99%Absolutely won't (emphatic)

Key Takeaways

  • ✅ Strong impossibility: Expresses near-absolute certainty (95%+)
  • ✅ Common expression: Essential for expressing disbelief
  • ✅ Fixed structure: Always uses 리가 없다 (never just 리 없다)
  • ✅ Emotional: Often used when defending or expressing shock
  • ✅ All tenses: Works with past, present, future
  • ✅ Natural speech: Very common in everyday Korean

-(으)ㄹ 리가 없다 is crucial for expressing strong disbelief and impossibility in Korean. It's one of the most natural ways to say "no way" or "that can't be" when you're very certain something is false or impossible.