modality N2 uncommon casual
〜ものか — (emphatic rhetorical) there's no way ~!
〜ものか ・ ものか
Meaning
- there's no way ~! / as if ~! / I'll never ~ — an emphatic rhetorical question that forcefully denies the opposite
Key sentence
あんな店、二度と行くものか。
There's no way I'm ever going to that place again.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb / い-adj (plain); な-adj / N + な | V(plain) + ものか（polite ものですか; casual もんか） | 負けるものか / 静かなものか |
When: Emotional and casual; the speaker rejects the idea with strong feeling. もんか is the rougher spoken form.
Examples
彼の言うことなんか、信じるものか。
As if I'd believe anything he says.
こんなところで負けてたまるものか。
There's no way I'm going to lose here.
When you can't use it
- The question shape carries the opposite meaning: 行くものか = 'I will NOT go.' It is not a real question and takes no answer; do not read it literally.
Easily confused with
See 〜ものか in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ものか the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled with reference to A Dictionary of Advanced Japanese Grammar.