Skip to content
道Nihongo Path

JLPT N3 grammar comparison

〜わけだ vs 〜ということだ

By Nihongo PathUpdated

The difference

From the 〜わけだ lesson

〜ということだ: "It means that…" also restates, but is more neutral and can report hearsay. わけだ carries the "now I understand" feeling.

From the 〜ということだ lesson

〜わけだ: Also "that means", but わけだ carries the "now I get it" feeling. ということだ is a plain restatement.

Side by side

〜わけだ

wake da · JLPT N3

Meaning
"no wonder ~", "that means ~", "so that's why ~" — a conclusion that follows naturally from known facts.
Formation
Plain form + わけだな-adj + な + わけだ; N + の／という + わけだOften with 道理で or つまり

  1. 三年も住んでいたのか。日本語が上手なわけだ。

    さんねんもすんでいたのか。にほんごがじょうずなわけだ。

    You lived there three years? No wonder your Japanese is good.

  2. 一つ五百円で三つ買ったから、千五百円払ったわけだ。

    ひとつごひゃくえんでみっつかったから、せんごひゃくえんはらったわけだ。

    They were 500 yen each and I bought three, so that means I paid 1,500 yen.

Full lesson on 〜わけだ

〜ということだ

to iu koto da · JLPT N3

Meaning
(1) "I hear that ~", "it is said that ~" (hearsay); (2) "that means ~", "in other words" (conclusion).
Formation
Plain form + ということだFormal hearsay: 〜とのことだ〜ということは 〜ということだ for the restating sense

  1. 天気予報によると、明日は雪だということだ。

    てんきよほうによると、あしたはゆきだということだ。

    According to the forecast, it's going to snow tomorrow.

  2. 田中さんは今日休むということです。

    たなかさんはきょうやすむということです。

    I hear Tanaka is off today.

Full lesson on 〜ということだ

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between 〜わけだ and 〜ということだ?

"It means that…" also restates, but is more neutral and can report hearsay. わけだ carries the "now I understand" feeling.

When do you use 〜ということだ instead of 〜わけだ?

Also "that means", but わけだ carries the "now I get it" feeling. ということだ is a plain restatement.