adverbial N2 uncommon casualpolitewritten

どういうわけ(だ)か — for some reason / somehow

どういうわけ(だ)か・どういうわけだか

Meaning

for some reason / somehow / I don't know why, but ~ — marks that the cause is unknown or puzzling to the speaker

The speaker can't account for the cause and finds it slightly puzzling — 'strangely enough.' Literally 'what kind of reason (is it)?,' but used as a statement, not a question.

Key sentence

どういうわけか、彼かれは今日きょう機嫌きげんがいい。

For some reason, he's in a good mood today.

Formation

Attaches to	Form	Example
Fixed adverbial; stands before the clause	どういうわけ(だ)か + clause	どういうわけか + 涙なみだが出でた

Examples

どういうわけか、その日ひは誰だれも来こなかった。

For some reason, nobody came that day.

どういうわけか、彼女かのじょは急きゅうに黙だまってしまった。

For some reason, she suddenly fell silent.

Easily confused with

どうして(だ)か Near-synonyms. どういうわけか highlights a puzzling circumstance and is a touch more formal; どうしてだか is a bit more casual/conversational. なぜかなぜか is the compact, everyday 'somehow / for some reason.' どういうわけか says the same thing at greater length, foregrounding the unexplained 'reason.'

See どういうわけ(だ)か in real sentences

Jengo shows どういうわけ(だ)か the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.

Study it in Jengo

Sources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.

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