A strong denial with 〜っこない

Grammar: Assertion and Declaration » 〜っこない

～っこない is used to express a strong negation, indicating that something is absolutely impossible or has no chance of happening. It conveys a speaker’s firm conviction that a certain action or state is not feasible.

It translates to phrases like “no way ~”, “definitely not possible”, or “absolutely cannot ~”. It emphasizes impossibility or strong denial, often with a casual or emphatic tone.

Usage

It attaches to the stem of a verb (e.g., 食べられっこない from 食べる, meaning “no way I can eat”). It often follows potential verbs and is often used with conditionals.

It is often paired with emphatic expressions like なんて (e.g., なんてありっこない, “no way that’s possible”). The pattern is a colloquial derivative of ～わけがない, but ～っこない is less formal and more conversational.

Examples

Can't be found with 〜っこない

Saint Tail sends out a parade of copies of herself to confuse Asuka Jr. and the police.

セイント・テール:

「ぜーーったい見つかりっこないもん」

“There's absolutely no way that I can be found.”

No way he can win with 〜っこない

As he performs one trick after another, Kaito says he’s unbeatable at magic. Aoko says he can’t win against Kaitou Kid, the magic-using thief her police father has yet to apprehend. Kaito disregards the claim and continues disrupting class with his tricks.

青子(あおこ):

「なによ、かっこつけちゃって…　勝(か)てっこないじゃない……」

“What's with all that showing off? There's no way he can win.”

「お父(とう)さんだって、手(て)を焼(や)いてるんだから」

“Even Dad is having a hard time of it.”

手(て)を焼(や)く is an expression meaning “to have difficulty with”.

No way you can catch with 〜っこない

Asuka Jr. is feeling down after Saint Tail committed a theft without giving him advance notice. When Meimi tries to console him, he tells her she doesn’t understand Saint Tail.

芽美(めいみ) (thinking):

「わかるもん……　セイント・テールはあたしだもん！！」

“I do understand... Because I'm Saint Tail!!”

芽美(めいみ):

「あんたなんか一生(いっしょう)かかったってセイント・テールをつかまえられっこないっ」

“Someone like you can take a lifetime and there's no way you can catch Saint Tail!”