quotation N2 uncommon politewritten
との — the ~ that (reported content + noun)
との
Builds on という
Meaning
- the ~ that / ~ to the effect that — attaches quoted or reported content directly to a noun, formally
との is the compressed, written-register equivalent of という when it modifies a noun of communication or thought — 連絡・知らせ・指示・報告・意見・考え. 「会議は延期」との連絡があった ('there was word to the effect that the meeting is postponed'). It packages what was said/decided/thought and hangs it on the following noun. Common in news, business writing, and formal speech; という is the everyday spoken counterpart.
Key sentence
社長から、すぐに集まるようにとの指示があった。
There was an instruction from the president to the effect that we should gather at once.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Quoted clause / 「…」 + との + noun of report or thought | [clause] + との + N | 中止との知らせ / 反対だとの意見 |
When: Written and formal — news reports, business documents, announcements. The following noun names the message, order, view, or report.
Examples
事故で電車が遅れているとの放送が流れた。
An announcement came that the trains are delayed due to an accident.
値上げはやむを得ないとの見方が強まっている。
The view that the price hike is unavoidable is gaining ground.
出席できないとの連絡を受けた。
I received word that he cannot attend.
Easily confused with
という Same job — attaching reported content to a noun — but という is the neutral/spoken default (彼が来るという話); との is its formal, written contraction, favoured with report/communication nouns in news and business. とのこと とのこと is との + こと used to *end a sentence* as relayed hearsay ('I'm told that ~'); この との modifies a following noun ('the report that ~').
Notes
- Both と plus a verb (と言う) and との plus a noun derive from the quotative と — choose との only when a noun follows.
See との in real sentences
Jengo shows との 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.