事(こと)かHow…, What..., God knows...

ことか is a combination of こと 'thing', and the case marking particle か, used to present a question.

In sentences with ことか, words that highlight some particular number or extent are often used, before ことか comes at the end of the statement, expressing that 'extent' as being particularly unusual, or even unbelievable (thanks to the addition of か). This is often translated simply as 'how (A)', 'what (A)', or even 'god knows (A)'. Let's look at a few examples.

Literally, ことか can be translated as 'to what particular (A) is (B)!?', as the enquiry is often not directed at anyone specifically, but instead presents itself as a question simply to emphasize its magnitude.

Caution

In modern Japanese, this expression is used primarily in written language, and has a tendency to sound either poetic, or dramatic. Because of this, it may sound unnatural in daily speech, unless the speaker is purposely being dramatic.