Shikata ga nai

is a Japanese phrase and cultural concept.  The phrase means "it cannot be helped"Murphy,  "Memories of Minidoka: Japanese-Americans revisit southern Idaho's internment camp,"  Boise Weekly. May 5, 2005; "Shikata ga nai,"  Time, October 8, 1945; retrieved 2012-10-4.  or "nothing can be done about it".Chamberlain, Basil Hall. (1889). A handbook of colloquial Japanese, p. 5. Shikata ga nai implies a kind of hard work which is defined by Japanese culture.

If something happens which is beyond someone's ability to control or affect, a conventional Japanese reaction is to say "shikata ga nai". "Quake response showcases Japan's resilient spirit," MPRNews (Minnesota Public Radio). March 15, 2011; retrieved 2012-10-4.  With this phrase, someone recognizes that a problem exists and then gets on with doing what can be done.Hooper, Rowan.  "TM bolsters notion of a Japanese mind-set over mortality," Japan Times. June 9, 2005; retrieved 2012-10-4.  

Shoganai
The phrase  is another way to say that it's useless to try to do something.Renshaw, Jean R. (1999).  Kimono in the Boardroom: The Invisible Evolution of Japanese Women Managers, p. 198;  New Mexico Quarterly, Vol. 36, p. 182; excerpt, "The people of Hiroshima experienced a disastrous event for which there was no precedent. New words and attitudes were born in them  shogonai (it's useless to try; the shrug of despair) ..."; retrieved 2012-10-4.

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, shoganai was one of the most commonly heard expressions. "U.S. donations not rushing to Japan," 11Alive News (US). March 17, 2011; excerpt, "Devin Stewart, a senior director at the Japan Society in New York City, said, "Suffering and persevering is a type of virtue in Japan ... the ability to persevere and remain calm under difficult situations. Among the most commonly heard expressions there, are gaman, to persevere or tough it out; gambaru, to do your best, to be strong; and shoganai (skitkata ga nai), it cannot be helped, which expresses a sense of fatalism ...."

Related pages
 Gaman (term)
 Gambaru

References

Other references
  Shikata ga nai at Buddhist Churches of America 

Category:Japanese culture