ことか
Meanings
- How…
- What…
- God knows...
- I wonder... with emotion
- I never expected... with strong feeling
About this pattern
Explanation
ことか is used to express strong emotion or astonishment about something, often with a sense of “how … it is” or “I wonder … how could it be.” It can convey admiration, surprise, regret, or a sense of being overwhelmed. It frequently appears in exclamatory contexts and can be used after verbs or adjectives to highlight the speaker’s emotional reaction. In some cases you’ll see phrases like なんと〜ことか, 信じられないことか to intensify the feeling. It is more literary or emphatic than everyday speech, and is common in writing, storytelling, or formal spoken style.
Learn in context
Example sentences
To be able to see such a beautiful scenery, how wonderful it is!
I’m astonished that he can believe that news.
It's hard to believe that it will be finished by tomorrow.
How grateful I am that she truly forgives me.
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More N3 patterns
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