connective N2 common politewritten
要するに — in short
要するに ・ ようするに
Meaning
- in short / to sum up / the point is — restates the preceding explanation as one boiled-down conclusion
Key sentence
色々言ったが、要するに準備が足りなかったということだ。
I've said various things, but in short, the preparation just wasn't enough.
Formation
| Attaches to | Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
| sentence-initial, summarising the preceding explanation | (…説明…)。要するに [the gist]。 | 要するに無理だ |
Examples
要するに、君は行きたくないんだろう？
In short, you just don't want to go, right?
理由は色々あるが、要するにお金の問題だ。
There are many reasons, but the point is, it comes down to money.
When you can't use it
- 要するに compresses a longer account to its essence — it needs preceding material to boil down, so it can't open a topic from nothing.
Easily confused with
Notes
- Because it cuts to 'the point is…', 要するに can sound impatient or dismissive of the speaker's detail — a hair more so than つまり.
See 要するに in real sentences
Jengo shows 要するに 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 Intermediate Japanese Grammar.