Grammar Info
N3 Lesson 4: 7/21

訳(わけ)だ
for that reason, no wonder, as you'd expect, naturally, thus, this is why

Structure
Casual
Polite
Verb + (という) + わけ
[い]Adjective + (という) + わけ
[な]Adjective + (1) + わけ
Noun + (1) + わけ

(1) という
Verb + (という) + わけ + です
[い]Adjective + (という) + わけ + です
[な]Adjective + (1) + わけ + です
Noun + (1) + わけ + です

(1) という
Details
Register Standard
使用域 一般
Information
One of the most misunderstood words in Japanese is 訳(わけ). Of the many ways it can be translated, the most common are ‘reason’, ‘cause’, ‘meaning’, or ‘conclusion’. Despite this, it may be beneficial to consider it almost identical to an equally versatile English word ‘so’.
In all of its uses, わけ simply highlights the plain existence/determination of something in the same way that ‘so’ does in English. This can be seen in its most basic form in わけだ. A combination of わけ and the 助動詞(じょどうし) (auxiliary verb) .
わけだ will be used at the end of sentences, and is sometimes preceded by という. This use is often translated as ‘for the reason of (A)’, ‘no wonder its (A)’, or ‘its (A), as you’d expect’. Realistically though, it just means ‘it is so that it’s (A)’, or ‘so it’s (A)’.
  • 事故(じこ)電車(でんしゃ)遅(おく)れた?だから珍(めずら)しく遅(おく)れて来(き)たというわけだ
    The train was late due to an accident? So that’s why you came in unusually late.
  • 指(ゆび)骨(ほね)折(お)れていたですね。から指(ゆび)動(うご)かしたら痛(いた)かったという訳(わけ)ですね。
    You are saying that my finger was broken? So that's why my finger hurt when I moved it.
  • やっぱり全然(ぜんぜん)練習(れんしゅう)してないでしょ?どうりで一年(いちねん)たっても下手(へた)なわけだ
    As I expected, you didn't practice at all, did you? No wonder you haven't improved even after a year.
  • 今日(きょう)は休日(きゅうじつ)か。だから定休日(ていきゅうび)のわけだ
    Today is a holiday, isn't it? So that's why they are closed today.
Due to わけ being a noun, it will need to follow the 連体形(れんたいけい) (attributive form) of whatever word comes before it. As we can see ‘so’ and わけ have an extremely close pattern of nuances, ranging from ‘because’, all the way through to simple emphasis (like with ‘naturally’, and ‘as you’d expect’).
わけ may also be used in questions, implying that the speaker is trying to determine something that they have heard. わけだね ‘so its (A) right?’, and わけですか ‘so is it that (A)?’ are good examples of this.
  • 俺(おれ)一緒(いっしょ)くないわけだね?分(わ)かったよ。
    So you are saying that you don't want to be with me, right? I understand.
  • 先輩(せんぱい)たちは後(あと)から来(く)るというわけですか?
    Senpai, so will you be coming later?
Slow Male
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雪(ゆき)が降(ふ)っていた。寒(さむ)いわけだ
It snowed. This is why it is cold.
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お金(かね)を無駄(むだ)に使(つか)っている。貯金(ちょきん)がないわけです
You waste your money. No wonder you have no savings.
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彼女(かのじょ)医者(いしゃ)になりたいから、医学(いがく)の勉強(べんきょう)するわけだ
Since she wants to be a doctor, this is why she is studying in the medical field.
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Books
Tobira
Page 145
[DBJG] A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
Page 531
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 284
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 38