modality N2 uncommon politewritten

ことか — exclamatory: how ~! / how very ~

ことか

Builds on こと

Meaning

how (very) ~! / how much ~ — an emotional exclamation of great degree, usually launched by a question word

A rhetorical exclamation, not a real question — the か asks nothing; it intensifies the speaker's strong feeling (longing, gratitude, hardship). Often pairs with だろう (どんなに〜ことだろう).

Key sentence

この日ひをどんなに待まっていたことか。

How long I've waited for this day!

Formation

Attaches to	Form	Example
Question word (どんなに / どれほど / 何度なんど) + plain predicate	(どんなに/どれほど…) + V / Aい(plain) + ことか	どれほど嬉うれしかったことか
な-adjective / Noun	な-adj + な / N + な + ことか	どんなに幸しあわせなことか

When: Emotional and somewhat literary/written; common in heartfelt narration and reflection rather than neutral conversation.

Examples

一人ひとりでどれほど心細こころぼそかったことか。

How lonely and anxious I felt all by myself!

君きみに何度なんど助たすけられたことか。

How many times you've come to my rescue!

Easily confused with

どんなに〜(こと)か The fixed どんなに instance of this pattern — どんなに supplies the 'how (much/very)' that ことか then turns into an exclamation. どれほど〜(こと)か The どれほど instance — interchangeable with どんなに〜ことか, leaning slightly toward extent/quantity.

See ことか in real sentences

Jengo shows ことか 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.

← Back to the grammar tree