Structure
Verb + もの(1) + だ(2)
［い］Adjective + もの(1) + だ(2)
［な］Adjective + な + もの(1) + だ(2)
(1) もん
(2) ではない、じゃない
Details
Register
Standard
Rare Kanji
物
About ものだ
もの (or 物 in its kanji form) is classified as a 形式名詞 (dummy noun) in Japanese. This just means a noun that is used in a similar way to 'thing' in English. もの regularly refers to things that do not have their own name, or are difficult to name due to their complexity. When もの is combined with the auxiliary verb だ, it implies that the previously mentioned (A) is something that 'is what it is'. This is often used in relation to customs, conventions, common sense, or to highlight results that would naturally be expected in any given situation.
To use ものだ, attach it to the end of the attributive form of any word/word that ends a phrase that you would like to highlight as being an obvious piece of information.
ものだ as 'supposed to', or 'the way it is' can also be used to negate a phrase, and say that it is 'something that isn't expected', or 'shouldn't be the case'. To do this, だ will be replaced with ではない, or じゃない.
Caution
もの may sometimes be abbreviated as もん. This is far more common in spoken language, and can make the statement sound a bit more casual overall.
Antonyms
Related
Examples
--:--
Get more example sentences!
Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.
ケーキは甘い物だ。
Cake is supposed to be sweet.
親は親切な物だ。
Parents are supposed to be kind.
食べ物はムダにする物じゃないよ！
You shouldn't waste food! (not supposed to)
悪いことは続く物だ。
Bad things usually continue. (That's just the way it is)
子供は父母の言うことを聞く物だ。
Children are supposed to listen to their parents!
Self-Study Sentences
Study your own way!
Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.
Online
～ものだ
JapaneseTest4You
Grammar Notes and Breakdown
JLPT 先生
ものだ vs. ことだ
毎日のんびり日本語教師
接続・意味・使い方・例文
にほんごの里
Offline
There are no Offline resources listed for 「ものだ」.
You can . Resources are constantly updated, come back later to see new additions!
Track Resources!
Bunpro tracks all of the resources you’ve visited, and offers relevant bookmarks of physical books to help with offline tracking.
ものだ – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (6 in total)
mrnoone
English translation:
supposed to
should
that’s the way it isStructure:
Verb + ものだ
いAdj + ものだ
なAdj・な + ものだExplanation:
[used for emphasis, stating subjective beliefs/opinion or giving advice (closer to command) or a warning]View on Bunpro
Kawazoe
I have made several errors with ものだ in a row and tried to dig into the rules to understand why I get it wrong all the time.
So in the Dictionary of intermediate Jap Grammar this structure is said to overlap with べきだ - though in a more general sense. Like, “this is in general what should be / expected to be done”, like in the example: Students should study (in general they should): 学生は勉強するものだ。
Then why in the ex below the correct answer is ものだ？ This is a single-case situation (or particular situation), as I see it.mrnoone
@Kawazoe
HeyNice catch!
Actually, this sentence doesn’t really belong to this grammar point which is used to reprimand people of lower status or to express conviction. (And it will be changed in a few minutes.)
It is another use of もの、which expresses strong wish/desire. It generally follows ほしい and たい.
So the proper translation should be something like:
“If they are so amazing, I would like to really (try) meeting them.”
Sorry for the inconvenience!
Kawazoe
Ah, so that’s what it was!
Phew…
I was really worrying that I cannot get the variety of meanings of this point
Thank you for looking into it
Ambo100
Charlesjh
WHat is the difference between this and はずだ
steffuld
Looks similar to how we add の/ん before だ to nominalize the whole phrase to give it the “It’s that …” explanatory meaning.
Here it looks like もの/もん is used in exactly the same way, but it also adds its own nuance. Interesting!
Got questions about ものだ? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!
Join the Discussion