ima wa muri desu.

Now is not possible.

Breakdown of ima wa muri desu.

• は: topic particle
• です: to be
• 無理むり: impossible
• いま: now

Questions & Answers about ima wa muri desu.

What does 無理 really mean here? Is it only “impossible”?

無理 (muri) can mean impossible, unfeasible, or unreasonable/too much to ask. In refusals, it often implies “that can’t be done (under these circumstances),” not necessarily that it’s physically impossible—just not realistic or acceptable right now.

Why is は pronounced “wa” here?

When は is the topic particle, it’s pronounced “wa” due to historical spelling. As part of a word (like はな), it’s pronounced “ha.” In いまは, the は is the topic particle, so it’s “wa.”

What does the は after いま do? Can I drop it?

は marks いま (now) as the topic, giving a contrastive nuance: “as for now (as opposed to other times) ….” With は, it subtly suggests “maybe later could be different.” You can drop it and say いま、無理です or いま無理です, which states “now it’s not possible” without the same contrastive hint.

Is this polite enough? How could I soften it?

無理です is polite, but can feel blunt when refusing. Soften it with apologies and hedges:

• すみません、今はちょっと無理です。
• 申し訳ありませんが、今は難しいです。
• 今は都合がつきません。 Adding ちょっと and an apology is a common softening strategy.