“〜to iu koto wa”: In Other Words / That Means 〜 (drawing a conclusion from a premise) [JLPT N3]

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

“He can speak Japanese — so does that mean he's good at languages?” — drawing a logical inference from given information

玄関に靴がない。「ということは、もう出かけたのか」 — deducing a conclusion from a clue

You get home, notice the shoes are gone from the entryway, and do the math: 「ということは、もう出かけたのか」 (that means he's already gone out?) — 「ということは」 is like a detective's reasoning: from a known clue/premise, deducing a logical conclusion: “that means …, this implies ….” This guide covers 「ということは」's deductive use and attachment, separating it from the associative 「と言えば」 and the defining 「というのは」.

Core: deduce a conclusion from a premise (that means …, this implies …)

「(plain clause) ＋ ということは」 = “that means …, this implies …” — taking the preceding fact/information as a premise, drawing a logical conclusion:

• 明日は祝日だ。ということは、銀行は休みだ (tomorrow's a holiday, so the banks are closed).
• 返事がない。ということは、断られたんだろう (no reply, which means I was probably turned down).

Feel: “that means … (so we can infer) …” — the core is reasoning: grab a premise and deduce the “then that stands for …” conclusion. Often stands alone at the head of a clause as a connective (prior sentence. ということは、…).

Attachment & forms

Examples in context

• 電気が全部消えている。ということは、誰もいないんだ。(The lights are all off, so no one's here.)
• 彼女は指輪をしている。ということは、結婚しているのか。(She's wearing a ring, which means she's married?)
• 一番安いのがこれ。ということは、他はもっと高いわけだ。(This is the cheapest, which means the others are more expensive.)
• 「今日は3月末だ」「ということは、明日から新年度か」。(“Today's the end of March” “That means the new fiscal year starts tomorrow.”)
• 彼が黙っている。ということは、認めたも同然だ。(He's silent, which means it's as good as admitting it.)

⚠️ Easy traps to avoid

① 「ということは」 is ‘deduction,' not ‘association' or ‘definition.' This is the key point to separate the three 「という」 forms. ということは = deduce a conclusion from a premise (that means) (靴がない→ということは出かけた, reasoning); と言えば = draw an association from a topic (speaking of ～) (京都と言えば寺, association, not reasoning); というのは = explain what a word is (～ means) (AIというのは人工知能, definition). Judge by whether you're doing deduction/association/definition. (Overview in the table below.)

② The conclusion must ‘follow reasonably from the premise' — don't attach randomly. The conclusion after 「ということは」 must be logically deducible from the premise. Premise 「電気が消えている」 → reasonable conclusion 「留守だ (no one home)」 (○); attaching an underivable conclusion (電気が消えている。ということは、明日は晴れ ×) doesn't work. Check that the “premise → conclusion” reasoning holds.

③ Often stands alone at the head as a connective. 「ということは」 very often forms its own opening clause, picking up the prior (what someone said or an existing situation) to infer: 「新幹線が止まってるらしい」「ということは、今日中に着けないね」 (“The bullet train's apparently stopped” “That means we can't arrive today”). This “(on hearing a situation) ということは、…” inferential pickup is very common in speech.

🔄 Compare with similar forms: ということは／と言えば／というのは／つまり

💡 How to remember this

「〜ということは」 = that means …, this implies …, a detective-like deduction tool: grab a premise (clue, fact), deduce the “then that stands for …” conclusion (靴がない。ということは、出かけた). It often stands alone at the head as a connective, picking up the prior to infer (very colloquial). Most important is telling it from the other two 「という」 forms: ① to ‘draw a representative association from a topic (speaking of ～)' use 「と言えば」 (京都と言えば寺); ② to ‘explain what a word is (～ means)' use 「というのは」 (AIというのは人工知能). Lock in the three functions in a line: ということは = deduction, と言えば = association, というのは = definition. When using 「ということは」, check that the conclusion follows reasonably from the premise.

❓ FAQ

Q: 「ということは」 and 「つまり」 both render as ‘that means' — what's the difference?

Very close, often interchangeable, but with different focus: 「ということは」 leans ‘deduction' (deriving a new conclusion from a premise), 「つまり」 leans ‘rephrasing/summarizing' (restating the prior more clearly or summing it up). 「ということは」 = based on the prior fact, we can ‘infer' …: 財布がない。ということは、どこかで落としたんだ (the wallet's gone, which means I dropped it somewhere — from “wallet gone” inferring the new conclusion “dropped it”). It carries “inferred from this.” 「つまり」 = in other words, in short (rephrasing or condensing what was just said, not deriving a new conclusion): 彼は私の母の弟だ。つまり、叔父だ (he's my mother's younger brother, i.e., my uncle — rephrasing “mother's younger brother” as “uncle,” the same fact restated). It carries “in other words/summing up.” Test: if what follows is ‘a new conclusion reasoned from the premise' → ということは fits; if it's ‘the prior rephrased or summarized' → つまり fits. Often both work (especially when a deduction is also a restatement), but 「ということは」 is reasoning-heavy, 「つまり」 rephrasing-heavy.

Q: How do I quickly tell the three 「という」 forms (と言えば・ということは・というのは) apart?

Remember they map to three wholly different actions: association, deduction, definition, judged by “what you want to do now”:

① Want to ‘draw the first-associated representative from a topic' → 「と言えば」: 夏と言えば海 (speaking of summer, the sea); 名探偵と言えばホームズ. Keyword “speaking of ～ (it's) …,” for picking up talk, developing associations.

② Want to ‘deduce a logical conclusion from a clue/premise' → 「ということは」: 車がない。ということは、出かけた (car's gone, so he went out). Keyword “that means／this implies,” for reasoning.

③ Want to ‘explain what a word/concept is' → 「というのは」: 「敬語」というのは、相手を敬う言葉のことだ (“keigo” means language that respects the other). Keyword “～ means …,” for defining, explaining.

In one line: speaking of ～ (association) → と言えば; that means (deduction) → ということは; ～ means (definition) → というのは. Each has its job; aim at the “association/deduction/definition” you intend and you won't go wrong. (と言えば: see 〈と言えば〉; というのは: see 〈というのは〉.)

🖊️ Practice Questions (5)

Q1. 「彼が謝った___、自分が悪いと認めたんだ。」（which means he admitted he was wrong）

(A) ということは　(B) どころか　(C) わりに　(D) ものの

Q2. 「ということは」の働きは?

(A) Drawing a conclusion from a premise (that is to say)

(B) Indicates contrast

(C) Indicates purpose

(D) Indicates time

Q3. 「返事がないということは、興味がないのだろう」の意味は?

(A) No reply means (they're) probably not interested (an inference)

(B) No reply but interested

(C) Definitely interested

(D) Nothing to do with interest

Q4. 「ということは」と「つまり」の違いは?

(A) ということは = drawing a conclusion from a premise; つまり = in other words (restating)

(B) The two are exactly the same

(C) ということは = restating

(D) つまり = inferring a premise

Q5. 用法が自然なのは?

(A) 雨か。ということは、試合は中止だね。　(B) ということは、それから話した。

(C) ということは、although but。　(D) ということは行ってください。

Answer Explanations

1. (A) ということは ── From 「謝った」, infers that he admitted he was wrong.

2. (A) ── Draws a conclusion from a premise.

3. (A) ── Infers no interest from no reply.

4. (A) ── ということは: inference; つまり: restating.

5. (A) ── From 「雨」, infers 「中止」 (cancellation).