---
title: "en jaksa"
translation: "I haven't got the energy. I can't face it. I can't be bothered."
type: "word"
category: "sanonta"
url: "https://finnishirl.com/words/en-jaksa"
canonical: "https://finnishirl.com/words/en-jaksa"
published: "2026-10-01"
updated: "2026-10-01"
author: "Andrey the Nomad"
site: "Finnish IRL"
license: "https://finnishirl.com/terms#ip"
---

# en jaksa
URL: https://finnishirl.com/words/en-jaksa
Translation: I haven't got the energy. I can't face it. I can't be bothered.
Pronunciation: /en ˈjɑksɑ/
Category: sanonta
Archetypes: reaction, silence
Region: Finland
Register: neutral spoken Finnish, said by everyone
Literal meaning: I do not have the strength to.
Tone and safety: Safe with friends and family. To a manager it is a statement about capacity, so choose the words with care.
Published: 2026-10-01

Quick answer:
- En jaksa means I don't have the energy for it. The verb jaksaa is about capacity, not willingness.
- It works as a complete answer, and it is accepted as a reason without further explanation.
- Jaksatko is also a real question about someone's wellbeing - miten jaksat is closer to "how are you coping" than to "how are you".

What it means:
- En jaksa says the energy is not there. English splits this between I can't be bothered, which sounds like a choice, and I'm exhausted, which sounds like a complaint. Finnish has one word and it carries neither judgement.
- Jaksaa has no clean English equivalent. It covers having the strength, the stamina and the will to do something, all at once.

How Finns use it:
- Declining something: en jaksa tänään. That is a full answer and nobody asks for more.
- About small things and large ones alike, a phone call, a party, a whole week.
- As a question that means more than it looks: miten jaksat asks how you are holding up, and is a real enquiry and not a greeting. Jaksatko on its own means are you managing.
- In the negative imperative as encouragement: jaksa vielä vähän, hang on a bit longer.

Tone and safety:
- Between friends and family it is entirely normal, at any age.
- At work it reads as a statement about your capacity rather than your attitude, which is more serious than the English "I can't be bothered". If you mean you are busy, say en ehdi - I haven't time.
- Said to you by a Finn, it is worth taking at face value. It is not a soft no dressed up; it is what it says.

Common mistake:
- Hearing it as rudeness or laziness. It reports a state, and Finland treats a lack of energy as a legitimate reason.
- Reaching for it when you mean you have no time. En ehdi is the phrase for that; en jaksa says something about you rather than your schedule.

Examples:
- En jaksa tänään. Mennään ens viikolla. - I haven't got the energy today. Let's go next week.
- Emmä jaksa ees ajatella sitä. - I can't even face thinking about it.
- Miten sä jaksat? - How are you holding up?

Mini dialogue:
A: Tuutsä illalla?
B: Emmä jaksa. Ollu pitkä viikko.
A: Nii on ollu.
B: Ens kerralla.

FAQ:
Q: What does en jaksa mean?
A: I haven't got the energy for it. The verb jaksaa covers strength, stamina and will together.

Q: Is en jaksa rude?
A: Not among friends or family - it is a normal and complete reason. At work it reads as a statement about your capacity, so en ehdi is often the better phrase.

Q: What is the difference between en jaksa and en ehdi?
A: En jaksa is about energy; en ehdi is about time. They are not interchangeable, and mixing them changes what you are telling someone.

Q: What does miten jaksat mean?
A: How are you coping. It is a real question about how you are holding up, not the throwaway English "how are you".

Q: Can I use it as an excuse at work?
A: You can, but understand what it says. In Finland a lack of energy is a legitimate reason, and stating it is taken seriously rather than dismissed.

Related words: kalsarikannit, ihan-sama, myotahapea, joo, joo-joo, just-joo, no, no-niin, ei

Sources:
- VISK § 1565 - Nesessiivirakenne: (Minun) täytyy mennä (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=1565
- VISK § 1201 - answering with a verb or a particle (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=1201
- VISK § 1205 - explanation or justification in a negative answer (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=1205
- VISK § 108 - inflection of the negative verb (Iso suomen kielioppi, Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://kaino.kotus.fi/visk/sisallys.php?p=108
- Kielitoimiston sanakirja: jaksaa (Kotimaisten kielten keskus): https://www.kielitoimistonsanakirja.fi/#/jaksaa