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JLPT N3Emphasis

～ことか— How Very ...!

An exclamatory ending that expresses a strong, heartfelt emotion — how much, how deeply, or how very something is/was. It usually follows a question word like どんなに, どれほど, or なんと to amplify the feeling. Use it to convey intense emotion such as relief, worry, joy, or gratitude.

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Pro lessonUNIT 22 · EMPHASIS

Structure · 形

[どんなに / どれほど / なんと] + [Verb/adj plain] + ことか

Examples · 例文

  • この日をどれほど待っていたことか。

    Kono hi wo dorehodo matte ita koto ka.

    How long I have waited for this day!

    どれほど + 待っていた + ことか expresses deep, long-held emotion

  • あなたに会えて、どんなに嬉しいことか。

    Anata ni aete, donnani ureshii koto ka.

    How happy I am to be able to meet you!

    どんなに + 嬉しい + ことか amplifies the joy

  • 彼が無事だと聞いて、どれだけ安心したことか。

    Kare ga buji da to kiite, doredake anshin shita koto ka.

    How relieved I was to hear he was safe!

    どれだけ + 安心した + ことか conveys intense relief

Usage notes · 注意

  • Almost always paired with a degree question word (どんなに/どれほど/どれだけ/なんと).
  • Rhetorical: it is an exclamation, not a real question.
  • Register: emotional and somewhat literary; common in reflective or written narration.

Commonly confused with

The JLPT rarely asks whether you recognise a pattern — it asks which of several similar patterns fits. These are the ones ～ことか is tested against.

vsことだろう

ことだろう softens the exclamation into 'how ~ it must be' (conjecture about others); ことか is the speaker's own felt emotion.

vsものだ

ものだ expresses general truths or nostalgic recollection; ことか is a burst of strong emotion about a specific instance.

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