“〜to wa” (exclamation): To Think That…! / Of All Things, 〜! [JLPT N1]

Content by NTJ Kuma · Nihongo to Japan editorial team · Updated July 27, 2026

とは used for strong exclamation or surprise

「まさか宝くじが当たるとは」 — to think that ～, who'd have imagined

To express strong surprise at the unexpected, Japanese has an exclamation that lands at the sentence end — 「まさか、あの人が犯人だったとは (to think it was that person who was the culprit…).」 「〜とは (exclamatory use)」 = to think that ～, who'd have imagined ～. It expresses strong surprise, feeling, or admiration at the unexpected. This guide clarifies its core of “to think (surprise),” ⭐the word order (「とは」 always lands at the end), separating it from the colloquial 「なんて」 and the defining 「とは.」

Core: to think that ～, who'd have imagined ～ (strong surprise at the unexpected)

「(plain form／noun) ＋ とは」 (exclamatory) means “to think that ～, who'd have imagined ～” — at the unexpected, expressing strong surprise, feeling, or admiration:

• こんな所で君に会えるとは、思ってもみなかった (to think I'd meet you in a place like this — I never imagined it).
• あの真面目な彼が、会社を裏切っていたとは (to think that earnest him had betrayed the company…).
• 一年でここまで上達するとは、大したものだ (to think he'd improve this much in a year — impressive).

Feel: the core is “(who'd have thought) to think that ～” — expressing surprise, feeling, admiration at the unexpected. It's more written, with lingering, often pairing with 「まさか・なんと,」 and the sentence end is often dropped (「〜とは（驚いた／思わなかった）,」 leaving an exclamatory lingering). The colloquial near-equivalent is 「なんて.」 In English: “to think that ～, who'd have imagined ～, I never thought ～.” (Note 「とは」 also has a defining use 「愛とは… = love is…,」 told apart by context.)

Forms & attachment

Example sentences

• まさか、こんな結末が待っていたとは。(To think such an ending awaited…)
• 彼がそこまで考えていたとは、恐れ入った。(To think he'd thought that far — I'm impressed.)
• あの小さな子が、こんな名画を描くとは、驚きだ。(To think that little child could paint such a masterpiece — astonishing.)
• 十年ぶりに再会できるとは、夢にも思わなかった。(To think we'd reunite after ten years — I never dreamed it.)
• まさか自分が選ばれるとは、思ってもみなかった。(To think I myself would be chosen — I never imagined it.)

⚠️ Common mistakes to avoid

① ⭐Word order: 「とは」 always lands at the end; don't put it at the head like the Chinese ‘竟然.' This is Chinese speakers' most typical error. Chinese “竟然” habitually goes at the front of a sentence (“竟然中獎了”), so Chinese speakers easily move 「とは」 to the head, writing ✗「とはまさか宝くじが当たる.」 But Japanese 「とは」 is a sentence-final particle attached at the ‘end' of the whole clause — you must finish stating the surprising content first, and 「とは」 always lands at the end: ◯「まさか宝くじが当たるとは」 (to think I'd win the lottery). Test: state the “(surprising) content” fully first, then close with 「とは」 (〜とは); don't put 「とは」 at the head.

② The sentence end 「驚いた／思わなかった」 is often dropped, leaving an exclamatory lingering. This is a flavorful point of 「とは.」 After 「〜とは,」 there should be 「驚いた (was surprised)」「思わなかった (didn't think)」「信じられない (can't believe),」 but in speech and writing these are often dropped, stopping at 「〜とは,」 using the unfinished tone to leave a surprised, feeling-laden lingering: まさか彼が来るとは… (to think he'd come… — dropping the following 「驚いた,」 leaving a surprised lingering), こんな結果になるとは (to think it'd turn out like this…). This sentence-end omission of 「〜とは」 carries a lingering, feeling with literary flavor. Test: after 「〜とは」 the end (驚いた etc.) is often dropped; stopping at 「とは」 gives an exclamatory lingering.

③ ⭐Separate it from 「という」 — とは is surprise, という is just objective quotation／explanation. They look alike but mean entirely differently. 「〜とは」 (exclamatory) = to think that ～ (with strong surprise, feeling): 彼が来るとは (to think he'd come — with the surprise “who'd have thought”). It carries subjective surprise, feeling. 「〜という」 = they say ～, called ～ (an objective quotation, explanation, neutral): 彼が来るという ((I hear) they say he'll come — plain relaying, quoting, no surprise), 田中という人 (a person called Tanaka — explaining a name). It just objectively quotes, explains, without emotion. Difference: 「とは」 = to think that ～ (surprise, feeling, subjective); 「という」 = they say ～, called ～ (objective quotation, explanation, neutral). Test: with the surprise “to think, who'd have thought” → とは; a plain objective “they say ～, called ～” → という. So “to think he'd come” (surprise) uses 「彼が来るとは,」 “they say he'll come” (relaying) uses 「彼が来るという.」

④ Separate it from the colloquial 「なんて」 — とは is more written with lingering, なんて is more colloquial. They're close (both the surprise “to think ～”), differing in register. 「〜とは」 = to think that ～ (more written, with lingering): まさか優勝するとは (to think we'd win… — more written, with exclamatory lingering). It's more written, refined, resonant. 「〜なんて」 = to think that ～, ～ and such (more colloquial, see 〈なんて〉): まさか優勝するなんて (to think we'd win — more colloquial, everyday). It's more colloquial, everyday, casual in feel. Difference: 「とは」 more written, with lingering (refined); 「なんて」 more colloquial, everyday (casual, see 〈なんて〉). Test: to exclaim “to think ～” in writing, with lingering → とは; to colloquially say “to think ～” → なんて.

🔄 Compare with similar forms: とは (exclamatory)／なんて／という／とは (defining)

💡 Quick takeaway

「〜とは」 (exclamatory) = to think that ～, who'd have imagined ～ — three points: ①⭐word order — 「とは」 always lands at the sentence end (state the content first, then close with とは; don't put it at the head like the Chinese “竟然”); ② the sentence end 「驚いた」 is often dropped, leaving an exclamatory lingering (まさか〜とは…); ③ separate it from 「という (objective quotation)」「なんて (colloquial, see 〈なんて〉)」; there's also the defining 「とは (～ is…),」 told apart by context. This exclamation has real lingering, resonance — 「まさかこんな所で会えるとは」「あの人が犯人だったとは」 stop right at 「とは,」 leaving that surprise and feeling of “to think, who'd have thought” in a wordless lingering, with literary flavor. To exclaim “to think ～” in writing, with resonance, 「とは」 is spot-on; for everyday speech, 「なんて」 is more natural. (Note: though this article's id is towa-muekando, its true topic is the exclamatory 「とは.」)

❓ Questions you might have

Q: Can 「とは」 go at the sentence head, like the Chinese ‘竟然'?

No! 「とは」 always lands at the sentence end, never at the head. This is Chinese speakers' most typical word-order error. Chinese “竟然” habitually goes at the front (“竟然中獎了,” “竟然是他”), so Chinese speakers easily move 「とは」 to the head too, writing ✗「とはまさか宝くじが当たる」「とは彼が犯人だ」 — wrong. Japanese 「とは」 (exclamatory) is a sentence-final particle attached at the ‘end' of the whole clause — you must state the surprising content fully first, and 「とは」 lands at the end: ◯「まさか宝くじが当たるとは」 (to think I'd win the lottery), ◯「彼が犯人だったとは」 (to think it was he who was the culprit). Its structure is “［the surprising content］ ＋ とは,” 「とは」 always last. Test: when exclaiming with 「とは,」 state the “(surprising) thing” fully first, then close with 「とは,」 never at the head. This is the exact opposite of the Chinese “竟然” at the head — an easy error. So “to think I'd win the lottery” = 「宝くじが当たったとは」 (とは after), not 「とは宝くじが….」

Q: How do I tell the exclamatory 「とは」 from the defining 「とは」 (愛とは…)?

Tell them apart by context and sentence structure. 「とは」 has two common uses, identical in form but entirely different in meaning: ① The exclamatory 「とは」 = to think that ～ (surprise at the unexpected): it precedes a complete clause／event, expressing surprise, feeling at this (unexpected) thing, the end often dropping 「驚いた」: まさか彼が来るとは (to think he'd come — surprise), こんな結果になるとは (to think it'd turn out like this — feeling). Its point is “expressing surprise at some unexpected thing,” preceded by an “(unexpected) event,” often stopping (dropping) at the end. ② The defining 「とは」 = ～ (is)…, the word ～ (means…) (explaining a word's meaning, defining): it precedes a word (noun), followed by that word's definition, explanation, for “～ (means／is)…”: 愛とは、無償で与えることだ (love is giving without recompense), 幸福とは何か (what is happiness), 真の勇気とは、恐れを乗り越える力だ (true courage is the power to overcome fear). Its point is “explaining a word's meaning (defining),” preceded by a “word,” followed by “that word's definition.” Difference: ① exclamatory とは = to think that ～ (preceded by an ‘event,' expressing surprise, end often dropped); ② defining とは = ～ is… (preceded by a ‘word,' followed by a ‘definition,' explaining meaning). Test: preceded by “an (unexpected) event,” with surprise, end often stopping → exclamatory (to think ～); preceded by “a word,” followed by “that word is… (its definition)” → defining (～ is…). So 「彼が来るとは（驚いた）」 is exclamatory (to think he'd come), 「愛とは（何か）」 is defining (love is…). Whether an “event” or a “word” precedes, and whether the end is “dropped／exclaims” or “a definition,” tells them apart.

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「まさか宝くじが当たる___、夢のようだ。」(Unexpectedly; exclamation)

(A) とは　(B) とか　(C) たり　(D) なり

Q2. 「とは(exclamation)」とよく一緒に来るのは?

(A) まさか／なんと　(B) もし　(C) ぜひ　(D) たとえ

Q3. 「彼が犯人だったとは」の意味は?

(A) To think (he) was the culprit (surprise / unexpected)

(B) He's not the culprit

(C) Knew all along he was the culprit

(D) Asking who the culprit is

Q4. 「とは(exclamation)」の文末の特徵は?

(A) Often omits what follows, leaving a lingering effect

(B) Must be followed by ください

(C) Must be followed by か

(D) Must be followed by だろう

Q5. 用法が自然なのは?

(A) こんな所で会うとは。　(B) とは行く(no preceding clause)。

(C) とはを食べる。　(D) とはだ高い。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) とは ── To think one would win (exclamation).

2. (A) まさか／なんと ── Often pairs with まさか/なんと.

3. (A) ── To think he was the culprit (unexpected).

4. (A) ── Often omits what follows, leaving a lingering effect.

5. (A) ── 「こんな所で会うとは」 is correct.