modality N2 common casualpolitewritten
〜というものだ — that's what ~ really is
〜というものだ ・ というものだ
Meaning
- that's what ~ really is / that's exactly ~ — delivers the speaker's emphatic verdict on the true nature of something
Key sentence
困ったときに助け合う、それが友達というものだ。
Helping each other in hard times — that's what a friend really is.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun or plain-form clause + というものだ | [N / clause] + というものだ | 甘えというものだ / 失礼というものだ |
Examples
一方的に責めるのは、酷というものだ。
Blaming one side only — that's just cruel, plain and simple.
努力が報われないのが、人生というものだ。
Effort going unrewarded — that's just what life is.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Often caps an argument with conviction, naming the essence of a thing or branding an act (それは言い訳というものだ, 'that's just an excuse'). The negative 〜というものではない denies an overgeneralization ('it's not simply a matter of ~').
See 〜というものだ in real sentences
Jengo shows 〜というものだ 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.