とは

Japanese Grammar Advanced Japanese ★★★★ 4/5 neutral とはto wa
読み とは
ローマ字 to wa
形 Clause (plain form) + とは + (Reaction/Exclamation)

意味

A compound particle that marks an event, action, or state that the speaker finds unexpected, surprising, or noteworthy. It expresses reactions like 'to think that...' or 'the fact that... is surprising,' often conveying astonishment or disbelief.

とは combines the quotative と with the topic marker は to frame something as a topic of surprise or emotional reaction. It can appear sentence-finally with an exclamatory tone (まさか彼が辞めるとは) or mid-sentence followed by an evaluative comment (とは思わなかった, とは驚きだ). It differs from なんて in register — とは is more composed and can appear in formal writing, while なんて is more colloquial and emotionally charged. とは can also be used in definitions (愛とは何か — what is love?), but the surprise usage is its most distinctive advanced function.

例文

  1. あれほど慎重な彼が大胆な決断を下すとは予想外だった。
  2. 入社三年目の社員がプロジェクトを成功に導くとは大したものだ。
  3. 十年間続いた伝統行事が突然中止されるとは残念でならない。

使い方ガイド

場面: spoken, written, everyday

トーン: exclamatory

正しい言い方

  • まさか彼女が社長に就任するとは夢にも思わなかった。
  • 一晩で状況がここまで変わるとは驚きだ。
  • あの温厚な人物が声を荒らげるとはよほどのことだったのだろう。

避ける言い方

  • 明日は雨が降るとは。(Using とは for a routine weather forecast — no genuine surprise) → まさか真夏にこんな大雪が降るとは。
  • 昼ご飯を食べたとは思います。(Confusing とは with と — distorting the meaning to 'I think that...') → 昼ご飯を食べたと思います。

起源と歴史

The combination of quotative と and topic は has existed since classical Japanese, but its exclamatory use to express surprise developed prominently in the modern period. The structure frames the quoted content as a topic worthy of emotional commentary.

文化的背景

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal

関連フレーズ

といった A compound particle used to introduce examples from a broader category, functioning like 'such as' or 'like' in English. It presents representative instances while implying that more exist beyond those mentioned. と言うか A phrase used to restate or correct what was just said in order to express the idea more accurately or appropriately. It functions as 'or rather' or 'I should say,' allowing the speaker to refine a previous statement mid-conversation. なんて (belittlement) A colloquial particle used to express a strong feeling such as astonishment, incredulity, contempt, or dismissal toward the preceding noun, phrase, or idea. It translates as 'something like,' 'the likes of,' or 'such a thing as,' carrying a tone of belittlement or emotional distance. なんて (colloquial なんと) A colloquial version of なんと, used as an exclamatory adverb meaning 'how...!' or 'what a...!' It expresses strong emotion — surprise, admiration, disbelief, or dismay — about something the speaker finds remarkable. といったところだ A phrase used when the speaker explains something in a brief, rough, or approximate manner. It translates as 'roughly speaking,' 'something like that,' or 'that's about it,' and conveys that the description is a general summary rather than a precise statement. との A compound particle that presents the content of the noun that follows it, functioning like 'that' in English noun phrases such as 'the report that...' or 'the opinion that...' It connects quoted or reported content directly to a noun. と言って A conjunctive phrase meaning 'however' or 'having said that,' used at the beginning of or within a sentence to introduce a statement that contrasts with, qualifies, or limits the preceding one. It acknowledges the prior point while presenting a reservation or exception. 言うまでもない A phrase meaning 'it goes without saying' or 'needless to say,' used to indicate that something is so obvious or well-known that it does not require explicit mention. Despite this, the speaker typically proceeds to state it for emphasis.
WordLociで練習する

フラッシュカード、クイズ、音声発音、間隔反復