JapaneseJLPT
JLPT N3 grammar · Chapter 12

～わけだ

That explains it, or naturally that means...

You’ll be able to draw a logical conclusion from known information and show that the result now makes sense.

Illustration of the scene described by Since the elevation is as high as 2,000 meters, no wonder the air is so cold.
Read it first

標高ひょうこうが二千にせんメートルもあるのだから、空気くうきが冷つめたいわけです。

hyoukou ga nisen meetoru mo aru no da kara, kuuki ga tsumetai wake desu.

What do you think this sentence means?

Since the elevation is as high as 2,000 meters, no wonder the air is so cold.

Why it means that

State a natural conclusion or explanation

～わけだ expresses that something is a natural, logical consequence or provides a satisfying explanation for an observed situation ("no wonder...", "that explains why...", "naturally that means...").

Examples

三日みっかも寝ねていないのか。眠ねむいわけだ。

mikka mo nete inai no ka. nemui wake da.

You haven’t slept for three days? No wonder you’re sleepy.

一時間いちじかんに四よんキロ歩あるけば、三時間さんじかんで十二じゅうにキロ進すすむわけだ。

ichijikan ni yonkiro arukeba, sanjikan de juunikiro susumu wake da.

If you walk four kilometers an hour, that means you cover twelve kilometers in three hours.

How it is built

Attach わけだ to a plain form

Attach わけだ to the plain form of verbs, i-adjectives, or na-adjectives (na-adj + なわけだ). For nouns, use であるわけだ or というわけだ.

plain clause+わけだ／na-adj+ なわけだ
Example

クーラーが消きえていたのか。部屋へやが暑あついわけだ。

kuuraa ga kiete ita no ka. heya ga atsui wake da.

The air conditioner was off? No wonder the room is so hot.

Compare

～はずだ vs ～わけだ

～はずだ predicts what should be true from what you know. ～わけだ says a fact you have just seen now makes sense.

  • ～はずだ, should be

    今日きょうは日曜日にちようびだから、店みせが混こんでいるはずだ。

    kyou wa nichiyoubi da kara, mise ga konde iru hazu da.

    Today is Sunday, so the shop should be crowded.

    An expectation before you see the shop.

  • ～わけだ, no wonder

    今日きょうは日曜日にちようびだから、店みせが混こんでいるわけだ。

    kyou wa nichiyoubi da kara, mise ga konde iru wake da.

    Today is Sunday, so no wonder the shop is crowded.

    You see the crowd and now understand why.

Examples

一日いちにちに千円せんえんずつ貯ためれば、一年いちねんで三十六万五千円さんじゅうろくまんごせんえんになるわけだ。

ichinichi ni sen’en zutsu tamereba, ichinen de sanjuurokuman gosen’en ni naru wake da.

If you save 1,000 yen a day, that means you’ll have 365,000 yen in a year.

駅えきで事故じこがあったそうだ。電車でんしゃが来こないわけだ。

eki de jiko ga atta sou da. densha ga konai wake da.

Apparently there was an accident at the station. No wonder the train isn’t coming.

この店みせのパンは毎朝まいあさ店みせで焼やいているんですね。いつもいいにおいがするわけです。

kono mise no pan wa maiasa mise de yaite iru n desu ne. itsumo ii nioi ga suru wake desu.

So they bake the bread here in the shop every morning. No wonder it always smells so good.

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