quotation N3 common casualpolitewritten
〜ということだ — it means that ~
〜ということだ ・ ということだ
Meaning
① conclusion / interpretation: that is to say ~ / which means ~ — restates or draws out what something amounts to
② hearsay / report: I hear that ~ / word is that ~ — relays information from a source
Key sentence
① conclusion / interpretation
返事がないということは、興味がないということだ。
No reply means there's no interest.
② hearsay / report
天気予報によると、明日は雪が降るということだ。
According to the forecast, it'll snow tomorrow.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Plain-form clause | [clause(plain)] + ということだ | 中止になる → 中止になるということだ |
Examples
① conclusion / interpretation
つまり、今日は来られないということですね。
So what you're saying is you can't come today, right?
予約が満席だ。人気の店だということだ。
It's fully booked — which means it's a popular restaurant.
② hearsay / report
社長は来週帰国するということだ。
Word is the president returns to the country next week.
Easily confused with
〜そうだ (hearsay) Both relay what was heard, but そうだ is a plain second-hand report. ということだ frames it as conveying the content/upshot of a source — common in formal relays and announcements, and it doubles as 'that is to say', which そうだ cannot. 〜ということ ということ is the noun phrase ('the fact that ~') used mid-sentence; ということだ is the same plus だ, used to close a sentence as a conclusion or a report.
See 〜ということだ in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜ということだ the way you actually meet it: inside real Japanese sentences, so it sticks instead of staying an abstract rule.
Study it in JengoSources Compiled from published Japanese grammar references.