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N2

というものだ

Speaker's impression, Criticism or conclusion

何なにがあってもお互たがい助たすけ合あうのが友達ともだちというものだ。

Helping each other no matter what is just what friends do.

Explanation

Added to the end of a sentence, it is the speaker's strong judgment based on common sense: 'that is exactly what ... is'. It has two moods: admiration, 「これこそ運命というものだ」 (This is what fate is); and criticism, 「一言の断りもなく他人の物を使うなんて、非常識というものだ」 (Using other people's things without a word is just lacking common sense). It is the speaker's own firm opinion.

Mixed up with

「というものだ」: the speaker's strong personal judgment. 「一人で全部やるのは無理というものだ」 (Doing it all alone is simply too much).

「ということだ」: hearsay ('I hear that ...') or an objective explanation ('that means ...'), with no personal judgment. 「彼は来月結婚するということだ」 (I hear he's getting married next month).

Its negative counterpart is 「というものでもない」 (not necessarily).

Examples

  1. 先輩せんぱいが着つく10分じゅっぷん前まえに着つく。それがマナーというものだ。

    Arriving 10 minutes before your senpai arrives. That is just manners.

  2. 時ときには残酷ざんこくな結果けっかになることもある。それが勝負しょうぶというものだ。

    Sometimes the result is cruel. That's what competition is.

  3. その言いい分ぶんはわがままというものだ。

    That excuse is just selfishness.

Tested 2 times in past papers

N1 · Dec 2020, Q35N1 · Dec 2012, Q45